Contacts: Japan: Kumi Sano Europe: Kelly Smith Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi Europe Ltd.
+81-3-4564-4812 +44 1628 585379 kumi.sano.wa@hitachi.com Kelly.smith@hitachi-eu.com Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy Welcomes Progress on GDA London, UK, January, 15 th , 2013 -- Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd., (“Hitachi-GE”) today announced that it welcomes the statement by the UK Energy Minister that he has asked the nuclear regulators to begin discussions over Generic Design Assessment (“GDA”) (*) for the UK Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (“ABWR”).
Hitachi-GE approached the Department for Energy and Climate Change (“DECC”) earlier this month seeking GDA for the technology, which is proposed for Horizon Nuclear Power’s sites at Wylfa and Oldbury.
Mr Masaharu Hanyu, Vice President and Executive Officer, CEO, Nuclear Power Systems, Power Systems Company, Hitachi, Ltd. said: “Today’s announcement from the Minister of State marks the start of an important process for the ABWR, for Hitachi-GE and for Horizon Nuclear Power. The UK GDA is a rigorous and thorough process and we look forward to having our initial discussions with the regulators.
“We will work with the support of Horizon to put the UK ABWR through the process, essential for the delivery of between four and six units at Wylfa and Oldbury.
“The ABWR is a proven reactor design, which has been constructed to time and budget at four locations in Japan, and is also licensed in the USA and Taiwan.
We look forward to making sustained progress with the regulators in the months ahead”.
Hitachi, Ltd. acquired Horizon from RWE and E.ON. at the end of November, 2012. Hitachi will look to build two to three c1,300 MW plants at each of Horizon’s sites at Wylfa, Anglesey, Wales and Oldbury, South Gloucestershire, England with the first unit becoming operational in the first half of 2020s.
Hitachi-GE is the technology provider and delivery team leader for Horizon’s developments.
(*) The Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process is conducted jointly by the Office for Nuclear regulation (ONR) and the Environment Agency (EA). The process is completed with the issue of a Design Acceptance Confirmation (DAC) and Statement of Design Acceptability (SODA).
ABOUT HITACHI-GE NUCLEAR ENERGY Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd., a joint venture established by Hitachi, Ltd. and General Electric Company in July 2007, as one of the world's leading comprehensive plant manufacturers, engages in the development, planning, design, manufacture, inspection, installation, pre-operation, and maintenance of nuclear reactor-related equipment and is able to execute integrated project management. Hitachi-GE has been involved with 23 reactors in Japan to date, including those currently under construction. Among them, it has participated in all of Japan's Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) projects-four ABWRs are already operational and three are under construction. Overseas, it has supplied major nuclear reactor equipment for the Lungmen Nuclear Power Plant in Taiwan.
ABOUT HITACHI Hitachi, Ltd., (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 320,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2011 (ended March 31, 2012) consolidated revenues totalled 9,665 billion yen ($117.8 billion). Hitachi is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes information and telecommunication systems, power systems, environmental, industrial and transportation systems, and social and urban systems, as well as the sophisticated materials and key devices that support them. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com .
