Rolls-Royce SMR (Small Modular Reactor) to Receive Approval by 2024, Begin Operations by 2029

Paul Stein, Chairperson of Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactors announced recently that a Rolls-Royce design for a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) will likely receive UK regulatory approval by mid-2024 and be able to produce grid power by 2029.

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Paul Stein, Chairperson of Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactors announced recently that a Rolls-Royce design for a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) will likely receive UK regulatory approval by mid-2024 and be able to produce grid power by 2029. The British government asked its nuclear regulator to start the approval process in March, having backed Rolls-Royce’s €501 million funding round in November to develop the country’s first SMR reactor.

Policymakers hope SMRs will help cut dependence on fossil fuels and lower carbon emissions.

Speaking to the media, Stein said: “The regulatory process has been kicked off, and will likely be completed in the middle of 2024. We are trying to work with the UK Government, and others to get going now placing orders, so we can get power on grid by 2029. In the meantime, Rolls-Royce will start manufacturing parts of the design that are most unlikely to change.”

Each 470MW SMR unit costs €2.14 billion and will be built on a 10-acre site, the size of around 10 football fields.

Unlike traditional reactors, SMRs are cheaper and quicker to build and can also be deployed on ships and aircraft. Their “modular” format means they can be shipped by container from the factory and installed relatively quickly on any proposed site.

Related: 2nd Annual Small Modular Reactors (SMR) 2022| October 6-7 2022

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