Rolls Royce accelerates in race to make SMRs cost-competitive

It’s been 6-months since Rethink Energy first discussed small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), and while we were initially skeptical over when we could start to see them come online, the lack of speed-bumps in UK regulations and supply chain has led manufacturers to expect operational power stations to be built by 2029.   On behalf of the UK SMR Consortium, Rolls-Royce announced last Thursday that its small modular reactors could be generating power in the UK by the end of the decade – ahead of the timeframe it suggested just a few months ago. With limited government funding, this suggests a frantic race for SMRs to become cost competitive with renewables plus storage, and a ticking clock if the technology…