Rolls-Royce’s UK mini nuclear power station plans move a step closer

Plans by Rolls-Royce to introduce mini nuclear power stations in the UK have moved a step closer.

Rolls-Royce SMR (Small Modular Reactors) has been given the green light by the UK’s independent nuclear regulators to progress the project to its next phase of assessment.

Rolls-Royce SMR was established by Rolls-Royce in November 2021 to bring  factory-built small modular reactors to market, capable of generating 470MW of low-carbon electricity – enough to power a million homes for at least 60 years.

The plans have now passed the first stage of the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process that began in April 2022.

The safety, security and environmental aspects of new reactor designs must be approved by regulators before site-specific proposals can be brought forward.

Rolls-Royce has fulfilled all of the requirements it needs to progress to the next stage of the assessment, which is expected to last for 16 months.

The firm has now launched a comments process on its website to gather feedback on the plans.

The firm said that reaching this milestone puts the Rolls-Royce SMR “significantly ahead” of other designs in securing consent for a small modular reactor to operate in the UK.

Helena Perry, safety and regulatory affairs director at Rolls-Royce SMR, said: “This is a huge stride forward for our project and, through the independent scrutiny of our regulators, further increases confidence in the viability of the Rolls-Royce SMR design.

“Rolls-Royce SMR has unmatched experience in GDA, international licensing and permitting.

“We are using all the knowledge and learning from our uniquely skilled team to move at pace through the GDA process – bringing us closer to our vision of providing clean, affordable energy for all and providing a British solution to a global energy crisis.”