Mott MacDonald supports Natrium reactor development in the UK

Advancing UK net zero ambitions through innovative low carbon technologies  

Mott MacDonald is supporting TerraPower, a nuclear innovation company, on the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) of its Natrium advanced reactor.

The Natrium reactor is a 345MW sodium-cooled fast reactor with gigawatt-scale integrated molten salt energy storage, designed for safe, flexible and zero-carbon power generation. Its GDA application was accepted by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) earlier this year and the company has started the Step 1 review process.

The GDA represents a critical licensing milestone for new nuclear technologies, overseen by the ONR, the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural Resources Wales. The objective of the GDA is to provide confidence that the proposed design is capable of being constructed, operated and decommissioned in accordance with the standards of safety, security and environmental protection required in the UK.

Mott MacDonald has worked with TerraPower providing guidance on the UK regulatory system and GDA process.  The global management, engineering and development consultancy will now lead on the delivery of the core GDA documentation.

Guiding the Natrium reactor successfully through the UK GDA process will demonstrate the country’s commitment to advancing innovative low carbon technology solutions

Commenting on the appointment of delivery partner, Ming Tan, global practice lead for nuclear at Mott MacDonald, said: “Supporting TerraPower to acceptance of the GDA application was a great achievement, and we now look forward to delivering. Guiding the Natrium reactor successfully through the UK GDA process will demonstrate the country’s commitment to advancing innovative low carbon technology solutions. We look forward to working closely with TerraPower to achieve this.”

Dr. Ian Hudson, Head of TerraPower UK said: “Starting Step 1 of the GDA process is an important step forward in our efforts to deploy a Natrium plant in the United Kingdom. Entering this phase allows us to further highlight our safe, innovative and zero-carbon technology. We look forward to working with DESNZ, ONR and EA as we move through this important stage of the UK’s rigorous regulatory review.”  

The beginning of the GDA Step 1 process marks a significant step toward potential Natrium advanced reactor deployment in the UK and reflects the nation’s ambition to accelerate innovative, sustainable energy solutions.