Westinghouse Electric exec welcomes U.K. scrutiny of AP 1000 reactor

Jeff Benjamin, Westinghouse Electric Co.'s senior vice president of new plants and major projects, responded this week to a joint quarterly report from United Kingdom regulators on the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) closure program for Westinghouse’s AP1000 reactor design.

“Westinghouse Electric Company works closely with regulatory agencies around the world,” Benjamin said in a statement. “The regulators have an important role in reviewing the AP1000 nuclear power plant design in the United Kingdom, and a continued positive relationship between our organizations is key to the successful closeout of the GDA process.”

Benjamin said the regulators, from the Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the Environment Agency, have offered feedback throughout the process, giving the company a measured perspective on the project.

“Westinghouse has delivered revisions or validations of all GDA resolution plans to the regulators to address their concerns,” Benjamin said. “Westinghouse has confidence in the safety of AP1000 plant design, and that it will achieve the Design Acceptance Confirmation (DAC) from the ONR and the Statement of Design Acceptability (SoDA) from the Environment Agency."