Rolls-Royce has been selected as preferred bidder to build the country’s first small modular reactors. The decision follows a rigorous 2-year competition to select nuclear technology for UK deployment.
Rolls-Royce SMR will partner with Great British Energy – Nuclear to develop small modular reactors, subject to final government approvals and contract signature.
The new name ‘Great British Energy – Nuclear’ is intended to reflect its joint mission with Great British Energy to rollout clean home-grown power as 2 publicly-owned energy companies.
As part of the UK government’s modern Industrial Strategy to revive Britain’s industrial heartlands, it is pledging over £2.5 billion for the overall small modular reactor programme in the current Spending Review period, with this project potentially supporting up to 3000 new skilled jobs.
Great British Energy – Nuclear is aiming to sign contracts with Rolls-Royce SMR later this year and will form a development company. Great British Energy – Nuclear will also aim to allocate a site later this year and connect projects to the grid in the mid-2030s. When SMRs and Sizewell C come online in the 2030s, combined with the new station at Hinkley Point C, more nuclear power will be available to the grid than at any time in the previous half century.
SMRs are smaller and quicker to build than traditional nuclear plants, with costs likely to come down as units are rolled out. The outcome of this competition is the first step towards reducing costs and unlocking private finance, enabling the UK to realise its long-term ambition of delivering one of Europe’s first small modular reactor fleets. It comes after the government announced plans to shake up the planning rules to make it easier to build nuclear, including small modular reactors across the country.
Rolls-Royce SMR is progressing through the final stage of the assessment by the UK nuclear industry’s independent regulators.
Green light for Sizewell C
The UK government has given the go-ahead for Sizewell C. This is the first British-owned nuclear power station to be announced in over three decades, with the government as a majority shareholder alongside EDF.
With the confirmation of the UK’s first generation of small modular reactors this landmark decision represents a step towards energy independence and the revitalisation of the UK’s nuclear industry. Over 70% of Sizewell C’s construction value will go to UK companies.
Based on the Suffolk Coast close to the sites of Sizewell A and B, the project has been described by the independent consultancy firm Enco as the best-prepared nuclear energy site in modern nuclear history.
It is the first nuclear power station in the UK that will be funded through a Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model. Under the model, consumers are protected through independent regulation, strict cost controls, and transparent oversight – ensuring families benefit from secure, low-carbon energy without bearing the risk of cost overruns.
