UK government backs Rolls Royce SMR
Rolls Royce secures backing to enter SMR sector
Modular reactors to be available to UK grid by early 2030s as government and equity investors bet on potential of low-carbon power source
Rolls Royce has launched a new business to supply small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) after securing £405mn ($549mn) of funding from the UK government and equity investors including Exelon Generation, the US’ largest nuclear power plant operator. The new business unit, Rolls Royce SMR, will seek regulatory approval for SMR designs through the UK generic design assessment process and start identifying potential sites for the manufacture of modules. SMR technology will be available to the UK power grid in the early 2030s, Rolls Royce says. It is also engaging with export customers globally. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the UK to deploy more low-carbon energy than ever before
Also in this section
9 July 2025
Latin American country plans a cap-and-trade system and supports the scale-up of CCS as it prepares to host COP30
3 July 2025
European Commission introduces new flexibilities for member states to ease compliance with headline goal
1 July 2025
Supportive government policy, deforestation threat and economic opportunity drive forward the region’s monetisation of forest carbon
27 June 2025
TotalEnergies’ delayed FID for its Venus project will likely set back first oil, but Windhoek has other irons in the fire
