The Environment Agency (EA) has launched a public consultation on the design of the reactor intended for the proposed new nuclear power station at Bradwell.

Running until 4 April, the online exercise is being conducted as part of the EA's Generic Design Assessment (GDA) of the new reactor, the UK HPR1000.

The GDA is not part of the planning application process as such, but is complementary to it and is an essential step in the path to the Planning Inspectorate's decision on the proposed Bradwell B plant.

Bradwell B Chief Executive Alan Rayment said: "We welcome the Environment Agency's announcement of its public consultation.

"It is an important step in the assessment of the reactor for the UK, and consequently in being able to build the reactor at Bradwell B should we receive all necessary consents and permissions. I encourage everyone to review the information the EA has released and take part in the consultation."

The information released by the EA as part of the consultation consists of a summary and a number of detailed documents on the assessment so far. Members of the public are actively encouraged to take part and it can be found via the link to the EA website here.

Chris Hall, UK HPR1000 Generic Design Assessment Officer, said: "High standards of safety, security and environmental protection are at the centre of nuclear power station development.

"The GDA allows the design to be scrutinised in fine detail in order to provide confidence that the design can produce low carbon electricity whilst maintaining safety for the community, the workforce, and the local environment.

"We continue to work closely with the regulators throughout the GDA process and look forward to hearing the feedback from the EA's public consultation."

At this point, the EA has identified six potential GDA issues that need to be resolved before a Statement of Design Acceptability for the new reactor could be granted.

One of these potential issues relates to the use of learning from experience. General Nuclear System Ltd, who are acting for the designers, are continuing to work to resolve these and the assessment will continue - taking into account public feedback from the consultation, too.

A spokesperson for a group opposing the proposed development of Bradwell B, BAN (Bradwell B Action Network), said: "The concerning aspect of this learning from experience issue is that there is none in relation to these reactors as they have yet to "go live" anywhere in the world, being currently at the construction phase in China and Pakistan.

"The developers of Bradwell B appear to want to build two nuclear reactors here in Essex to a design that is unproven and untested. The other concerns that the EA have are radioactive waste disposal and environmental impacts, including the type of air filters to be used, all of which point to a lack of forethought and real understanding of the high levels of environmental protections that we have here in the UK.

"We are currently in discussions with the EA and hope to be able to arrange an online event so that our community members have the opportunity to comment on the consultation directly with the EA."