UK approves new nuclear reactor design

BBC : Following a five-year analysis of the European Pressurized Reactor, the UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency have deemed the design safe and environmentally sound. Conceived by two French firms, EDF and Areva, the design has been used for new reactors in China, Finland, and France, but construction has taken longer and costs have been higher than expected. If construction begins in the UK, it will be the first new reactor built in the country in 25 years. The design approval process was delayed because regulators requested improvements following the Fukushima disaster, but now EDF and Areva need local planning approval to begin construction. If that approval is granted, then the UK secretary of state will have three months to give final approval for the project. In the face of rising costs, EDF is considering whether to go ahead with the project at its site in Somerset.