Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether EDF has informed him that it plans to seek a renewal of the Design Acceptance Certificate (DAC) for the European Pressurised Reactor when the current DAC expires; and if he will make a statement.

A Design Acceptance Confirmation (DAC) completes the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) led by the UK’s independent regulators to assess non-site specific (i.e. generic) aspects of new reactor designs. GDA is not a statutory requirement of the nuclear licensing regime and the Office for Nuclear Regulation will only give permission for the start of construction of a nuclear power station based on a site specific safety case as part of the statutory licensing regime.

DAC renewal is not mandated and EDF has not informed Government that it plans to seek a renewal. It is noted however that ONR expect to complete the assessment of the European Pressurised Reactor site-specific safety case for Hinkley Point C in 2018.