[2] The original plan by NuGeneration, a British subsidiary of Toshiba-owned Westinghouse Electric Company, had the station coming online from 2024 with 3.4 GW of new nuclear capacity, from three AP1000 reactors.

A second Rolls-Royce-led UK SMR consortium plans a low-carbon power station around a small light-water reactor and the possibility of a link with renewable technologies, storage systems and hydrogen production named Moorside clean energy hub.

[9][10] The option for a 190-hectare (470-acre) plot north of Sellafield was acquired in October 2009 for £70 million by a joint venture formed by Iberdrola, GdF-Suez, and Scottish & Southern,[11] which named itself NuGeneration (NuGen) in November 2010.

[14] In 2014, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority agreed commercial terms with developer NuGen to extend a land option agreement to build three reactors at Moorside.

[16] In July 2015, NuGen exercised its option and purchased the land near Sellafield needed for the Moorside plant, approximately 200 hectares (490 acres), for an undisclosed sum.

[23] Proposals being considered for the Moorside clean energy hub include a 3,200 MWe EPR plant, SMR or AMR modular reactors, as well as renewables, storage and hydrogen technologies.

PWRs constitute the large majority of the world's nuclear power plants, but there is currently only one civil PWR in the UK (Sizewell B), with two more under construction (Hinkley Point C).

[28] The design has improved use of passive nuclear safety, featuring fewer valves and pumps than previous PWRs and allowing cooling without intervention for up to 72 hours, relying mostly on natural processes such as water flowing downhill and heat rising.

The proposal for the Moorside site includes the construction of a large scale nuclear power plant with two EPR units, replicating Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C, for a total capacity of 3.2 GWe.

The proposal also includes Rolls-Royce SMR or AMR modular reactors, renewable energy generation, hydrogen production and battery storage technologies.

The Nuclear Industry Association welcomed the proposal for the Moorside site, with the CEO adding, "These are exactly the attributes the country needs to bounce back from COVID-19, deliver jobs, and get us on track to hit Net Zero.

Large scale and smaller, next generation technologies have a huge amount to offer working as part of the clean energy hub concept.