News Releases

Hitachi-GE's UK ABWR takes major step forward in GDA

London, August 28, 2014 - Hitachi-GE has today moved one step closer to British deployment of the UK Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (UK ABWR), following confirmation from the nuclear regulators that they will move to Step 3 of the Generic Design Assessment (GDA).

The UK ABWR will be deployed by Horizon Nuclear Power at their two sites at Wylfa, on the Isle of Anglesey, and Oldbury-on-Severn in South Gloucestershire.

General Manager, Licensing, Hitachi Europe Ltd. for Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Mr Ken Sato said: "Progression to Step 3 shows the significant and sustained progress we have made. We are delighted to have met this important milestone and be on schedule for completion of the GDA by the end of 2017.

"GDA is rightly a thorough and rigorous assessment, and we look forward to providing further, increasingly detailed, submissions to the regulator throughout the coming months.

"Hitachi-GE now has a team of more than 40 experts working on GDA-alone across three locations in the UK, supported by a wider team from across the Hitachi group. Our UK footprint grows with each step we take, as we increase our understanding of the UK regulatory environment and work with the regulators to meet their expectations.

He continued: "The ABWR is a proven technology and is the only generation III+ reactor which has entered operation anywhere in the world. Its construction at Wylfa then Oldbury will create many thousands of jobs, and its operation will produce the secure, sustainable and affordable energy which the UK needs. We are pleased to be moving forward strongly, and look forward to delivering the plant for Horizon".

Chief Operating Officer of Horizon Nuclear Power, Mr Alan Raymant, said: "We welcome the positive progress Hitachi-GE is making on this crucial element in moving forward our plans to provide secure, low-carbon and affordable electricity for the UK. Following the recent positive announcement on Regulatory Justification and with the launch of our first round of public consultation in September, it shows that we are well on track for first power generation in the first half of the 2020s".

Notes to editors

• Hitachi-GE has today published their Pre-Construction Safety report (PCSR) and Generic Environmental permit (GEP) on the GDA website for the UK ABWR: http://www.hitachi-hgne-uk-abwr.com/
• The UK Regulators - the Office for Nuclear Regulation, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales - have published their summary reports and assessment reports from step 2 of the GDA. These are available on the joint regulators' GDA website: http://www.onr.org.uk/new-reactors/index.htm
• The regulators have confirmed that they have "not identified at this stage any fundamental safety, security or environmental issues that would mean that the UK ABWR is unacceptable for use in the UK".
• Hitachi-GE is the reactor provider and lead contractor to Horizon Nuclear Power. Hitachi-GE's Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) has been built at three sites already (four units), and has achieved regulatory approvals in two countries and one region around the world.
• In spring 2013 Hitachi-GE signed assessment agreements with the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the Environment Agency, beginning the process of ‘Generic Design Assessment'. The company began a major phase of public and stakeholder engagement when it moved to Step 2 in January 2014, launching a new UK website dedicated to explaining the reactor technology and inviting comments on the design: http://www.hitachi-hgne-uk-abwr.com/
• The website gives the opportunity for submission of comments or questions on the design of the reactor, or on the submissions which Hitachi-GE has made to the regulators. This process is not designed to discuss Government policy around nuclear energy and does not overlap with the planning consents for Horizon's proposed developments.

About Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.

Hitachi-GE, a joint venture established by Hitachi, Ltd. and General Electric Company in July 2007, as one of the world's leading comprehensive plant manufacturers, engages in the development, planning, design, manufacture, inspection, installation, pre-operation, and maintenance of nuclear reactor-related equipment and is able to execute integrated project management. Hitachi-GE has been involved with 23 reactors in Japan to date, including those currently under construction. Among them, it has participated in all of Japan's Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) projects-four ABWRs are already operational and three are under construction. Overseas, it has supplied major nuclear reactor equipment for the Lungmen Nuclear Power Plant in Taiwan.

About Horizon Nuclear Power

Horizon Nuclear Power was formed in 2009 to develop new nuclear power stations in the UK. It was acquired by Hitachi Ltd of Japan in November 2012. The company is developing plans to build at least 5,400MW of new nuclear power generation plant at Wylfa on the Isle of Anglesey and Oldbury-on-Severn in South Gloucestershire. Its power station sites will employ up to 1000 people each once operational and a peak workforce of up to 6000 is expected during construction. For more information about Horizon, please visit www.horizonnuclearpower.com.