Plans have been lodged for ground investigations for a new nuclear power station on the coast of the Severn Estuary.
Great British Energy Nuclear has submitted an application to South Gloucestershire Council seeking approval to conduct the work near Oldbury-on-Severn.
Great British Energy Nuclear is a government-owned firm which invests in clean energy projects.
The proposals include drilling boreholes into the earth and extracting samples, alongside conducting load assessments of the soil.
The council has yet to set a date for determining the plans.
The new power station would be constructed north of the current Oldbury Power Station, which is presently undergoing decommissioning.
The ground survey forms part of pre-application preparations required ahead of submitting the planning application for the actual power station.
In planning documentation, the firm said: "The works are needed to inform the site characterisation work in support of a proposed nuclear power station.
"The outputs of the proposed ground investigation works are an important element to inform the future proposals for a new nuclear power station, the need for which is well established in national policy."
Oldbury power station began operations in 1967 and started decommissioning in 2012. The 18-hectare location is being considered for a new category of nuclear facility, utilising small modular reactors.
These are simpler and more cost-effective to deploy than conventional nuclear power stations.
Rolls-Royce has been selected to construct the new reactor technology. However, it remains uncertain whether the government will select Oldbury, or an alternative location in north Wales, as the inaugural site for small nuclear reactors.
Great British Energy Nuclear purchased both locations during the summer of last year.
Beyond delivering a substantial quantity of clean energy, the new facility is expected to generate thousands of jobs during construction and hundreds throughout its operational phase.
The power station features significantly in the West of England Combined Authority's latest growth blueprint.
The blueprint declares: "At Oldbury, the potential for tens of billions of pounds of government and industry investment in small modular reactors, could create up to 3,000 construction jobs and hundreds of long-term roles in rural and coastal communities."
