UK's SMR selection process 'into final stage'

Friday, 28 February 2025

There were initially six companies shortlisted by Great British Nuclear (GBN) - the arms-length body set up to oversee the UK's plans for new nuclear - with the four shortlisted companies entering negotiations last September.

The aim is for GBN to select one or two of the technologies, with the intention of supporting the deployment of multiple units of a company's small modular reactors (SMRs) at a site. GBN currently owns land for potential new nuclear at Wylfa in Anglesey in North Wales, and at Oldbury in Gloucestershire in southwest England, but other sites could also be chosen.

Simon Bowen, GBN chairman, said: "This is an exciting moment for Great British Nuclear and the UK as we reach the final stage of the technology selection process for the Small Modular Reactor programme."

Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary, Ed Miliband, said: "Small modular reactors will support our mission to become a clean energy superpower. That’s why we are backing new nuclear technology to help secure our energy independence and grow the economy."

 

The background
 

GE Hitachi is putting forward its BWRX-300, a boiling water reactor, Holtec's SMR-300 is a 300 MWe pressurised water reactor, the Rolls-Royce SMR is a 470 MWe pressurised water reactor and Westinghouse's AP300 is a 300 MWe/900 MWth pressurised water reactor. They all stress that their designs are based on existing technologies and will be able to be constructed at speed and benefit from modular production techniques.

In an interview earlier last year for the World Nuclear News podcast, GBN Chairman Simon Bowen said the intention was to place contracts with one, two or three technology providers - this would be for co-funding the technology all the way through to completion of the design, regulatory, environmental and site-specific permissions process, and the potential to place a contract for the supply of equipment. Each selected technology would have an allocated site with the potential to host multiple SMRs.

The aim had been for a selection decision in 2024 and for a final investment decision to be taken in 2029.

There has since been a change of government in the UK, but it has pledged to continue with the process, although it announced in the Budget that the timeline for the selection decision had slipped to "Spring" 2025, which in the UK lasts from 20 March to 21 June. The timeline for the final investment decision remains unchanged.