- Date released: 17 October 2025
- Request number: FOI202509037
- Release of information under: FOIA
Information requested
Please can I submit a FOIA request for the following information:
ONR’s Early Engagement Process
- Please can you provide a breakdown of costs for a Requesting Party (RP) for the three tiers of early engagement. This can be in the form of an hourly rate or information on the costs of past engagements with RPs.
- Please can you provide data of previous RPs early engagement interactions (topics of engagement, their format and the timeline of when these occurred).
ONR’s Generic Design Assessment (GDA)
- Please can you provide a breakdown of costs for a RP, based on previous GDAs. I can see a previous request under number 202209033 but would like more up to date information if possible.
ONR’s Site Licensing and Permissioning Process
- Please can you provide a breakdown of the timeframes for previous site license applications and permissioning activities. I.e. when these activities started and finished to give an overall timeframe.
- Please can you provide a breakdown of costs for an RP of previous site licenses applications and permissioning activities.
I’d appreciate any other additional information on or around these subjects as well.
Information released
We confirm that under s.1 of the FOIA, we do hold some of the information you have requested. However, we are refusing your request under s.12 of the FOIA where it is estimated that the cost of complying will exceed the appropriate limit. This is because your request is too broad and is not time bound.
It covers several requesting parties, prospective licence applicants and licensees, along with encompassing several areas of ONR’s regulatory purposes. Please see below for a response to each of your questions in turn.
ONR’s Early Engagement Process
- Please can you provide a breakdown of costs for a Requesting Party (RP) for the three tiers of early engagement. This can be in the form of an hourly rate or information on the costs of past engagements with RPs.
I can confirm that we do not hold a breakdown of costs for a RP for the three tiers of early engagement in the form of an hourly rate. This is because of the way in which ONR charges industry and because early engagement is a voluntary process which is designed to be flexible. The approaches are not mandatory, prescriptive, or fixed in scope. Each tier of early engagement is bespoke to the individual RP based on several factors, including but not limited to, technology type and maturity of design.
If you wish to request the costs of past engagement with a specific RP, you will need to clarify which RP you are interested in. The following webpage lists the organisations which have entered the early engagement process. However, it is important to note that any request for charges relating to a specific RP are commercially sensitive and are highly likely to be withheld under s.43 of the FOIA, commercial interests.
- Please can you provide data of previous RPs early engagement interactions (topics of engagement, their format and the timeline of when these occurred).
The following webpage lists the organisations which have entered the early engagement process and includes a timeline for when engagement began with each RP and the status of engagement. Further information can also be found in our Joint regulatory guidance document New nuclear power plants - Early regulatory engagement for new nuclear projects and Generic Design Assessment (GDA) of new nuclear power stations.
ONR’s Generic Design Assessment (GDA)
- Please can you provide a breakdown of costs for a RP, based on previous GDAs. I can see a previous request under number 202209033 but would like more up to date information if possible.
Our request reference FOI202209033 provides the most up to date information on completed nuclear reactor GDA costs.
ONR’s Site Licensing and Permissioning Process
- Please can you provide a breakdown of the timeframes for previous site license applications and permissioning activities. I.e. when these activities started and finished to give an overall timeframe.
This information can be found on our website at the following weblink: Licensing of new reactors.
- Please can you provide a breakdown of costs for an RP of previous site licenses applications and permissioning activities.
The element of your request is too broad as assessments can take several years covering several prospective licence applicants and licensees. Can you please be specific on which projects/organisations you are interested in, the licence application, and permissioning activity, to help identify information in scope of this element of your request.
Exemptions applied
S.12
Public Interest Test (PIT)
N/A