Bradwell B

Consents and Permits

There are various permissions, consents and licenses that we need to build a nuclear power station. On this page you can find out more about these, along with the details of the relevant regulatory bodies.

Development Consent Order

Bradwell B is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), so in order to build the new station we need to apply for a special type of planning application called a Development Consent Order (DCO). These applications are assessed by the Planning Inspectorate, which will then make a recommendation to the UK Government, and the Secretary of State will make the final decision on whether to grant the DCO.

A DCO will give Bradwell B the permission to construct the power station and associated development, plus powers to compulsory purchase required land. It will also establish conditions on Bradwell B on areas such as the environment and construction.

We are currently in Stage 1 (pre-application) of the six-stage DCO process. You can find out more about the DCO process below.

Planning Inspectorate’s page on Bradwell B
Planning Inspectorate’s page on the National Infrastructure Planning Process

Generic Design Assessment

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the Environment Agency (EA) have jointly conducted a Generic Design Assessment (GDA) of the reactor technology that we will be using at Bradwell B, the UK HPR1000. The regulators provided independent scrutiny to ensure that the reactor design is applicable to UK regulatory standards of safety, security and environmental protection.

The GDA for the UK HPR1000 was successfully completed in February 2022, with the issuing of a Design Acceptance Confirmation (DAC) from the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and a Statement of Design Acceptability (SoDA) from the Environment Agency.

You can find out more about the UK HPR1000 below.

General Nuclear System Limited’s GDA webpage
ONR and EA page on the GDA of the UK HPR1000

Nuclear Site Licence

To build Bradwell B, we will need a nuclear site licence and subsequent permissions from the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) to progress with construction and other stages of the development. We will make a site licence application to the ONR, and during the licensing process we will demonstrate that the site is both suitable for deploying the UK HPR1000 technology, and that we are a capable organisation to fulfil the obligations of a nuclear site licensee.

The ONR will assess our application and determine whether to grant us a nuclear site licence. We will also develop a safety case to support construction through operation to decommissioning, for ONR assessment.

You can find out more below.

Office for Nuclear Regulation

Emergency arrangements

Separate from the nuclear site licence, the ONR and the Health and Safety Executive are also responsible for regulating Bradwell B’s emergency preparedness in the unlikely event of an off-site accident. Bradwell B cannot be built unless these arrangements are adequate and cannot be operated unless the arrangements are maintained.

You can find out more below.

ONR’s page on emergency preparedness and response
HSE’s page on the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2019 (REPPIR)

Environmental permits

For various activities that could affect environmental protection, Bradwell B must apply for permits from the Environment Agency. This includes permits for radioactive substances, wastewater discharge, and combustion.

In 2020, Bradwell B applied for, and was granted a new transfer license application to abstract (take) water under the Water Resources Act 1991 (licence number AN/037/0039/014). You can find out more below.

GOV.UK: Bradwell Power Generation Company Limited – decision on abstraction licence application

Electricity Generation Licence

In December 2020 Ofgem, the regulator for the gas and electricity markets granted Bradwell Power Generation Company Limited an electricity generation licence. Under the Electricity Act 1989, Bradwell B would need an electricity generating licence, which will allow it ‘to generate electricity for the purpose of giving a supply to any premises or enabling a supply to be given’.

The licence is an important step because it demonstrates that Bradwell B is organisationally able to hold the licence, and it provides some powers which are necessary for the company to progress its preparatory work on the project. You can find out more below.

Ofgem: Bradwell Power Generation Company Limited – Notice of grant of an electricity generation licence
Ofgem: Electricity Generation Licence, standard conditions

Other permissions and consents

From the Government, Bradwell B will need agreement in relation to a Funded Decommissioning Plan and Regulatory Justification for the use of the UK HPR1000 reactor technology

There are many other requirements which, depending on how the proposals develop, could potentially include permits and licences from the Marine Management Organisation, Natural England, and Historic England, for example.