Licence Sought to Build New Smaller Reactors

Posted: 13th March 2022

The British government has asked its nuclear regulator to start the process for approving Rolls-Royce’s (RR.L) planned small- scale modular nuclear reactor, which policymakers hope will help cut dependence on fossil fuels and lower carbon emissions. Britain last year backed a $546 million funding round at the company to develop the country’s first small modular nuclear reactor (SMR), part of its drive to reach net zero carbon emissions and promote new technology with export potential. Energy minister Kwasi Kwarteng has also said new nuclear projects will play an important part in Britain’s efforts to reduce its reliance on expensive gas, which hit fresh record high prices on Monday amid the crisis in Ukraine. SMRs can be made  in factories, with parts small enough to be transported on trucks and barges and assembled more quickly and cheaply than large-scale reactors. Reuters 7th March 2022  https://www.reuters.com/business/britain-start-approval-process-rolls-royce-mini-nuclear-reactor-2022-03-07/ Rolls-Royce’s hopes of building mini nuclear power stations have taken a significant step forward after Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business Secretary,asked government regulators to assess its designs. Rolls-Royce has raised about £500m to develop the Small Modular Reactors (SMR) reactors, which could help reduce Britain’s reliance on electricity generated from fossil fuels. It has won investment from Qatar; billionaire French oil dynasty the Perrodo family, which made its fortune from the private oil company Perenco, and US nuclear giant Exelon Generation. It also received £210m of taxpayer funding to develop the project. Rolls aims to develop a reactor that can largely be made in a factory. Making hundreds of them would significantly reduce development costs as well as making them more flexible and affordable. The Rolls design will now enter the generic design assessment process with the Office for Nuclear Regulation, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales. Tom Samson, Rolls-Royce SMR chief executive, said entering that process was another major milestone towards its goal of deploying a fleet of small nuclear reactors that can produce affordable, low carbon electricity. Telegraph 7th March 2022  https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/03/07/rolls-royces-plans-mini-nuclear-power-stations-take-significant/ Edie 8th March 2022  https://www.edie.net/news/6/UK-Government-kick-starts-approval-process-for-Rolls-Royce-s-small-nuclear-reactors/ Business Desk 8th March 2022  https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/eastmidlands/news/2056924-rolls-royce-plans-for-nuclear-power-stations-move-forward Cumbria Crack 7th March 2022  https://cumbriacrack.com/2022/03/07/major-step-forward-for-new-small-modular-nuclear-reactor-designs/ World Nuclear News 7th March 2022  https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Rolls-Royce-SMR-design-accepted-for-review Plan for new nuclear reactors at Wylfa and Trawsfynydd a step closer asNatural Resource Wales looks at designs. Nation Cymru 8th March 2022  https://nation.cymru/news/plan-for-new-nuclear-reactors-at-wylfa-and-trawsfynydd-a-step-closer-as-natural-resource-wales-looks-at-designs/