Rolls-Royce SMR has made it through to the first stage of the Great British Nuclear initiative Small Modular Reactor competition.
The scheme was set up by the previous energy security secretary Grant Shapps in July as a move designed to put the UK at the front of the global race to develop cutting-edge technologies, which are expected to deliver cleaner, cheaper, more secure energy.
Through the Small Modular Reactor competition, government is offering nuclear companies the chance to secure more than £157 million of grant funding.
Rolls-Royce joins EDF, GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy International LLC, Holtec Britain Limited, NuScale Power, and Westinghouse Electric Company UK Limited.
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Rolls-Royce SMR CEO Chris Cholerton said the company is a “British solution to the global energy security and decarbonisation challenge.”
“We welcome our shortlisting and are eager to build on this progress, moving quickly to the next stage where we can work to agree a contract for deployment and help the government reach its ambition to deliver up to 24GW of nuclear power by 2050,” he added.
Bill Gate’s TerraPower also entered the government’s competition but was not successful.
Great British Nuclear CEO Gwen Parry-Jones said that for the companies who missed out, the next opportunity could be the “government’s consultation on alternative routes to market for nuclear technologies which is due to be launched soon.”
Current energy security secretary Claire Coutinho said the competition has “attracted designs from around the world” and “puts the UK at the front of the global race to develop this exciting, cutting-edge technology and cement our position as a world leader in nuclear innovation.”
