Rolls-Royce selected as UK seeks small nuclear power plant developers – October 02, 2023 at 07:00

Rolls-Royce SMR has passed the first stage of a competition organized by the British government to select developers of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), the company announced on Monday. Its energy efficiency.

Rolls-Royce, whose core business is making engines for large aircraft, is the only company whose SMR technology has been reviewed by European regulators.

SMRs can be built faster and cheaper than larger reactors, and the parts are small enough to be transported on trucks and barges.

“Achieving a national agreement is critical to unlocking the enormous global export potential of our clean energy technology,” Chris Collerton, CEO of Rolls-Royce SMR, said in a statement.

The SMR competition was first announced in March, with the process overseen by Great British Nuclear, a government body set up to help boost the UK’s nuclear capacity to 24GW by 2050.

The selected companies will enter into negotiations with the government, which will make a final decision in 2029, subject to approval by the UK Nuclear Regulatory Office.