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A group led by British engineer Rolls-Royce has won UK government backing for its bid to build the country’s first small modular nuclear reactors.
The consortium has been selected as the preferred bidder out of four developers shortlisted last year.
The selection marks a step forward for the technology in the UK, although SMRs are not likely to be up and running in Britain until the 2030s.
It comes as the government announced £11.5bn of new state funding on Tuesday for a new large-scale power plant, Sizewell C in Suffolk.
The government said it would pledge £2.5bn for SMRs over the current spending review period.
The Rolls-Royce consortium was among four bidders shortlisted last year, including US-owned rivals Holtec Britain and GE Hitachi, and Canadian-owned Westinghouse Electric. The latter had dropped out earlier this year.
SMR is a catch-all term for relatively small nuclear power plants using different technologies, parts of which can be built off-site.
Proponents say their size and modular construction mean it should be possible to build them with fewer of the delays and cost blowouts that have dogged larger models.
However, critics caution that there is so far no certainty that the purported benefits will materialise.
SMRs typically have a capacity of 300 megawatts or less, although Rolls-Royce’s is larger at 470MW. It is a pressurised water reactor, a technology widely used around the world.
Proponents argue SMRs will have a key role to play in powering data centres for technology groups. Amazon and Google are among companies that have recently struck deals with SMR developers.
Rolls-Royce said on Tuesday it had been selected to build three SMR units in the UK. The company has said the project will generate employment and economic growth for the UK, including through securing export orders for the reactors.
The FTSE 100 group was last year selected by the government of the Czech Republic as its preferred supplier.
ČEZ Group, the Czech utility, also took a 20 per cent stake in the Rolls-Royce SMR venture as part of a wider strategic partnership between the two companies. The consortium’s other backers include private investment vehicle BNF Resources, Constellation of the US and the Qatar Investment Authority.
The consortium has so far invested about £280mn. It has also secured £210mn of UK government funding to help it through the rigorous nuclear regulatory assessment process.
