The Government has now directed regulators to accept the X-energy Xe-100 Advanced Modular Reactor (AMR) into its Generic Design Assessment (GDA).
It comes one year on from the signing of the Centrica X-energy partnership.
The companies plan to install up to 12 Xe-100 AMRs, adjacent to Hartlepool’s existing power station. It is estimated the new £12 billion reactors would create more than 2,000 skilled jobs and generate almost 1GW of energy, providing clean electricity for around 1.5 million homes.
Chris O’ Shea, Chief Executive of Centrica, said: “‘‘This is an important milestone in our plans to bring advanced nuclear power to Britain, and it shows the tremendous progress our partnership with X-energy has made in just 12 months. Without energy security, we don’t have true national security. Nuclear has a critical role to play in this.”
He added: “Deploying advanced nuclear technology at scale, with up to 6GW of new capacity across the UK, will not only strengthen our energy security, but it will create tens of billions of economic value and thousands of highly skilled jobs. Starting at Hartlepool, we want to help build a resilient, low-carbon energy system that can power homes and industry for decades to come.’’
Alistair Black, Vice President and UK Market Lead of X-energy, said: “We have been collectively developing our plans for a first project at Hartlepool, and a UK fleet beyond that. This is an important step in facilitating the safe, secure, environmentally appropriate and timely deployment of our technology here in the UK.”
He added: “Furthermore, we’ve been strengthening our links on Teesside where we’re jointly working with local bodies in Hartlepool to support workforce development and training, including through the creation of a new Nuclear and Electrical Trades Academy. Finally we have been developing our supply chain strategy and designing the development company that will bring our first project to fruition.”
