Rolls-Royce has put on hold plans to build a new nuclear factory in the UK, following delays to a government design competition.
The company had originally proposed building a factory to make heavy-pressure vessels for its SMR (small modular reactor) programme and another to make the building blocks for the reactors.
It had gone as far as drawing up a shortlist of possible locations for the pressure vessels factory.
But the FTSE 100 firm says it now doesn’t have time to build the factory and make the first pressure vessels for the early 2030s, when it hopes to complete its first SMRs, according to the Telegraph newspaper.
Rolls-Royce, however, said it is still hoping to build the second factory.
The company has been waiting for the results of a government SMR design competition in the UK before it made a decision on the location of its pressure vessel factory.
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But that competition has been delayed, and winners are not due to be announced until this June this year at the earliest.
A Government spokesman said: “Our world-leading SMR competition aims to be the fastest of its kind, helping secure billions in investment for the UK, meaning cleaner, cheaper and more secure energy in the long term.”
Speaking to Energy Live News, a Rolls-Royce spokesperson said:” “Rolls-Royce SMR is a factory-built solution and will need to use a range of facilities, managed by ourselves and by our supply chain.
“We have prioritised work on our Modules Assembly & Test Facility, where we will bring together components from the supply chain for fabrication into modules which are then taken to site for assembly into the finished power plant.
“Our unique modularisation approach is key to our success and, therefore, our efforts are focused on this facility and identifying the best site to support our deployment at pace.
“The components that would be produced by a Heavy Pressure Vessels factory can be sourced from the supply chain in the short term but, with a sufficient fleet commitment in the UK and overseas, there is further opportunity for investment in additional factory infrastructure.”
Last month, Rolls-Royce joined forces with EasyJet,Airbus and GKN to call on the government to provide funding for further research into hydrogen-powered planes.
