EDF and Nuward start the 2nd phase of the ‘Joint Early Review’ of the Nuward SMR design

(Boursier.com) — In June 2022, EDF announced that its small modular reactor would be subject to a European pre-assessment carried out by the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), in collaboration with the Czech (SUJB) and Finnish (STUK) safety authorities as well as two of their technical support (IRSN for France and SURO for the Czech Republic). These early discussions, carried out in advance and outside of any formal licensing process, allowed Nuward to receive early early feedback, beneficial to the Detailed Preliminary Design studies (Basic Design), and to anticipate the challenges associated with international certification processes.

EDF, Nuward and a broader collective of European safety authorities launched the 2nd phase of the Joint Early Review (JER) in December this year. Initially numbering 3, the safety authorities were joined by the Swedish (SSM), Polish (PAA) and Dutch (ANVS) regulators. The objective of this new phase is to continue and deepen the anticipated discussions with the safety authorities of strategic countries for the development of Nuward SMR in Europe, and to identify the key factors and conditions to be met for Nuward SMR can meet licensing expectations in these countries.

The Joint Early Review will include new technical topics with a similar process to the first phase, as well as additional discussions on how Nuward plans to take JER feedback into account in its design. In addition, these exchanges will allow participants to strengthen their collaboration and improve their respective knowledge of the regulatory practices of other regulators.

At the same time, Nuward transmitted the Nuward SMR Safety Options file to the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) in July 2023: an essential step in preparing the licensing process for the first NUWARD SMR plant in France. .