SMR could achieve £60/MWh say Rolls-Royce et al

2 November 2017



British consumers could benefit from lower cost electricity if the government was to back an SMR programme for the UK, according to a new report issued by Rolls- Royce and its partners in a UK Small Modular Reactor (SMR) consortium.


British consumers could benefit from lower cost electricity if the government was to back an SMR programme for the UK, according to a new report issued by Rolls- Royce and its partners in a UK Small Modular Reactor (SMR) consortium.

The company and partners, including Amec Foster Wheeler, Arup, Laing O’Rourke and Nuvia, say SMRs could produce power for as little as £60 per MWh – competitive against wind and solar, and about two- thirds of the Hinkley Point C “strike price”.

The report argues that, through its innovative approach to modular construction, the UK SMR programme is uniquely placed to avoid the complexities, delays and overspends often associated with infrastructure projects.

The report highlights the importance of delivering security of supply as decarbonisation and electric vehicles look set to increase electricity demands from consumers.

Harry Holt, president – nuclear, Rolls- Royce, said: “The UK has never had a greater need for low cost, low carbon, safe, secure and reliable energy production. With demand for energy set to rise in the near future – in part due to the growing popularity of electric cars – we believe that a UK SMR programme is a vital addition to our national infrastructure.

“It represents a once in a lifetime opportunity for UK companies to design, manufacture and operate next generation reactors...”

NuScale action plan

Meanwhile, US-based NuScale Power has launched what it calls an “action plan” for the near-term deployment of small modular reactors in the UK.

“Our UK SMR Action Plan sets out a clear vision for NuScale’s technology to be rolling off production lines in UK factories, generating power for UK homes in the 2020s and transforming the UK into a hub for export into a lucrative global market,” said Tom Mundy, NuScale’s chief commercial officer and managing director for the UK and Europe.

NuScale said a UK–US partnership offers the best option for near-term delivery of SMRs. The action plan is based on collaboration with UK organisations over the past few years including Ultra Electronics, Sheffield Forgemasters (supported by Innovate UK) and the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC). However, Mundy warned: “The window of opportunity is closing, and for the benefits of our UK vision of near-term SMR deployments to be fully realised, decisions must be taken by government now.”

NuScale said its SMR design, in which it has already invested $600m, could be deployed in the UK within the next ten years. A single NuScale module can generate 50 MWe, with a power plant comprising up to 12 modules to produce 600 MWe.

The design is an integral PWR, which houses the reactor core, pressuriser and steam generator inside a single containment vessel. The modular design, which can be factory manufactured, also leverages passive safety features.

NuScale envisages establishing the UK as an export hub to target a global SMR market, which it says could be worth up to £400 billion by 2035. The firm also said that British companies could potentially provide more than 85% of the content required for a UK SMR fleet.

The launch of the UK action plan follows licensing activities in the United States. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission accepted NuScale’s design certification application for review in March. The first commercial NuScale power plant is planned for construction at Idaho National Laboratory and is expected to start up in 2026. It will be owned by the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems and operated by Energy Northwest.

In 2015 the UK government launched a “competition” to identify the most cost effective SMR technologies, with a promise of substantial funding, but nothing has yet emerged from that exercise. 



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