EDITORS' PICK|4,213 views|Feb 21, 2020,9:10 am
Rolls-Royce Reignites The Race To Build Mini-Nuclear Power Plants
Ariel CohenContributor
Energy
I cover energy, security, Europe, Russia/Eurasia & the Middle East
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Rolls-Royce’s Small Modular Reactor (SMR) design[+]
ROLLS-ROYCE
Global manufacturer Rolls-Royce is the latest entrant in the tech race to provide small-scale nuclear power. Last month, the company announced plans to build 10-15 small modular reactors (SMRs) in the United Kingdom by 2029, with each unit compact enough to sit on the back of a tractor-trailer. The plants would be constructed on so-called “brownfield sites” in Cambria and Wales where aging or decommissioned nuclear power stations are still in place. Rolls Royce has thus far received £18 million ($23.1 m) from the British government, and is requesting £200 million ($258 m) more.

As I’ve written about before, SMRs are the next evolutionary step of nuclear power: compact, affordable, quick to construct, emission-less, and even transportable. China has great aspirations to lead in this field, as it does or attempts to do in solar panels, wind energy, 5G communications, MAGLEV trains, artificial intelligence, and more. The UK wants to give China a run for its money.