Four firms picked for next stage of mini-nuclear reactor competition

Great British Nuclear has announced that four firms have been selected for the last round of the UK’s mini-nuclear reactor competition.

GE-Hitachi, Holtec, Rolls Royce and Westinghouse have all been picked to move to the next stage of the procurement process, where bidders will be invited to enter negotiations with the non-departmental public body.

Unlike conventional reactors, SMRs are smaller and made in factories, which the government hopes could enable quicker and cheaper delivery.

Developing the technology was a major element of the previous government’s ambition for a quarter of all UK electricity to come from nuclear power by 2050.

The new Labour government’s plans for nuclear power have yet to be set out in detail, but energy secretary Ed Miliband told MPs in July that he would give his “absolute support” to plans for a fleet of SMRs.