Britain Approves Rolls-Royce to Advance Small Modular Reactor Design
Pecohub The British government has signed a deal with Rolls‑Royce to carry out the design work on small modular reactors (SMRs).
Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N), a government-owned company, said the Rolls‑Royce SMR contract formally starts technology design activities for what are intended to be the country’s first SMRs.
However, if they are still in the design phase, these small-scale nuclear generators are unlikely to produce power before the next decade.
SMRs are atomic reactors with up to one-third of the generating capacity of conventional nuclear power plants, with a modular design so they can be largely factory-assembled before being transported to the relevant site for installation.
Rolls-Royce SMR was selected as the preferred provider in June last year from a shortlist of four bidders, and £2.6 billion ($3.5 billion) was allocated in the 2025 Spending Review to enable this contract and any wider program delivery costs.
However, this funding was given to GBE-N to oversee delivery of the entire project. The value of the contract with Rolls-Royce SMR is not being disclosed at present, we were told, but the firm has access to a £599 million ($805 million) loan facility from the National Wealth Fund, should it need to dip into this as well.
The contract requires Rolls-Royce SMR to work with GBE-N to meet key milestones as it commences site-specific design, regulatory engagement, and planning processes, ahead of a future Final Investment Decision.
