Released June 24, 2025 | GALWAY, IRELAND
en
Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Rolls-Royce (London, England) has been chosen by the U.K. government to build the country's first small modular reactor (SMR) plants.
The decision of the first competition for small nuclear technology was announced by the government's renamed 'Great British Energy - Nuclear' body, which is tasked with delivering the development and deployment of new nuclear technologies. After a two-year assessment process, Rolls-Royce beat competition from rivals Holtec International (Jupiter, Florida), GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy International (Wilmington, North Carolina) and Westinghouse Electric Company (Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania). The government has announced £2.5 billion ($3.4 billion) for its SMR programme over the next four years. It is hoping the U.K. can become a first mover in the new European sector for small nuclear technologies. SMRs are much smaller and quicker to build than traditional nuclear plants, with costs expected to be lower as the first units are produced. The project is expected to create around 3,000 jobs during construction and produce enough power for roughly 3 million homes. No final decision has been made by Rolls Royce on the location for its first SMR plant but Industrial Info is tracking three potentials. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can click here for the reports.
"We are ending the no-nuclear status quo as part of our Plan for Change and are entering a golden age of nuclear with the biggest building programme in a generation," said U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. "Great British Energy - Nuclear has run a rigorous competition and will now work with the preferred bidder Rolls-Royce SMR to build the country's first ever small modular reactors - creating thousands of jobs and growing our regional economies while strengthening our energy security."
Based on small pressurized water reactors (PWRs), Rolls-Royce has previously announced plans to build 16 SMRs, each capable of generating up to 470 megawatts (MW) of electricity--enough to power 450,000 homes for 60 years. Each plant will take up 10% of the footprint of a conventional nuclear power plant. The eventual goal is to have a 500-day modular build--significantly shorter than the construction of more traditional nuclear power plants--and with a proposed price tag of £1.8 billion (US$2.4 billion) or less. The first plants will be operational by the early 2030s, with 10 completed by 2035, Rolls Royce stated.
The government's SMR decision came just weeks after the government committed to spending £14.2 billion (US$19 billion) to build its next nuclear power plant, Sizewell C in Suffolk, England. It will boast two European Pressurized Reactor-2 (EPR2) reactors from Electricité de France that will produce 3.2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, enough to power the equivalent of around 6 million homes. It is identical to the Hinkley Point C plant currently under construction in Somerset. For additional information, see June 16, 2025, article - U.K. Commits $19 Billion to New Nuclear Plant.
It is unclear how the government's choice of Rolls Royce will affect planned SMR development in the U.K. by the other competition finalists. Just before the announcement, Industrial Info reported that Holtec had chosen a site in the U.K. for its first European SMR factory. The location, GatewayEast, is adjacent to Doncaster-Sheffield Airport, in northern England and will be home to the planned £1.5 billion (US$2 billion) facility. For additional information, see June 10, 2025, article - Holtec Picks U.K. Site for Small Nuclear Reactor Plant.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
The decision of the first competition for small nuclear technology was announced by the government's renamed 'Great British Energy - Nuclear' body, which is tasked with delivering the development and deployment of new nuclear technologies. After a two-year assessment process, Rolls-Royce beat competition from rivals Holtec International (Jupiter, Florida), GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy International (Wilmington, North Carolina) and Westinghouse Electric Company (Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania). The government has announced £2.5 billion ($3.4 billion) for its SMR programme over the next four years. It is hoping the U.K. can become a first mover in the new European sector for small nuclear technologies. SMRs are much smaller and quicker to build than traditional nuclear plants, with costs expected to be lower as the first units are produced. The project is expected to create around 3,000 jobs during construction and produce enough power for roughly 3 million homes. No final decision has been made by Rolls Royce on the location for its first SMR plant but Industrial Info is tracking three potentials. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can click here for the reports.
"We are ending the no-nuclear status quo as part of our Plan for Change and are entering a golden age of nuclear with the biggest building programme in a generation," said U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. "Great British Energy - Nuclear has run a rigorous competition and will now work with the preferred bidder Rolls-Royce SMR to build the country's first ever small modular reactors - creating thousands of jobs and growing our regional economies while strengthening our energy security."
Based on small pressurized water reactors (PWRs), Rolls-Royce has previously announced plans to build 16 SMRs, each capable of generating up to 470 megawatts (MW) of electricity--enough to power 450,000 homes for 60 years. Each plant will take up 10% of the footprint of a conventional nuclear power plant. The eventual goal is to have a 500-day modular build--significantly shorter than the construction of more traditional nuclear power plants--and with a proposed price tag of £1.8 billion (US$2.4 billion) or less. The first plants will be operational by the early 2030s, with 10 completed by 2035, Rolls Royce stated.
The government's SMR decision came just weeks after the government committed to spending £14.2 billion (US$19 billion) to build its next nuclear power plant, Sizewell C in Suffolk, England. It will boast two European Pressurized Reactor-2 (EPR2) reactors from Electricité de France that will produce 3.2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, enough to power the equivalent of around 6 million homes. It is identical to the Hinkley Point C plant currently under construction in Somerset. For additional information, see June 16, 2025, article - U.K. Commits $19 Billion to New Nuclear Plant.
It is unclear how the government's choice of Rolls Royce will affect planned SMR development in the U.K. by the other competition finalists. Just before the announcement, Industrial Info reported that Holtec had chosen a site in the U.K. for its first European SMR factory. The location, GatewayEast, is adjacent to Doncaster-Sheffield Airport, in northern England and will be home to the planned £1.5 billion (US$2 billion) facility. For additional information, see June 10, 2025, article - Holtec Picks U.K. Site for Small Nuclear Reactor Plant.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
