The UK’s nuclear energy regulators have said the four designs being considered for future nuclear reactors in the country have all passed initial tests as part of the generic design assessment (GDA).

The regulators – the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency – said they could see "no shortfalls" at this stage, in terms of safety, security or the environment, which would prevent any of the designs from ultimately being constructed in the UK. A statement said more detailed assessment will follow in the next steps of the GDA.

The four designs undergoing the GDA are Atomic Energy of Canada Limited’s ACR-1000; Areva and EDF’s European Pressurised Water Reactor; GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR); and Westinghouse Electric Company’s AP1000.

In January 2008, the UK government gave the go-ahead for the possible construction of a new generation of nuclear power plants in the UK. At the time, energy secretary John Hutton said he would invite energy companies to bring forward plans to build and operate new nuclear power plants.

The full preliminary reports for each reactor design are available on the Environment Agency website (www.environment-agency.gov.uk).