Plans unveiled for 14 small modular nuclear reactors by 2034

A European consortium has set out plans to install 14 small modular nuclear reactors across Britain in a project it says could cost £35 billion and supply electricity for about eight million homes.

The scheme, led by SGE, would be one of the most ambitious nuclear build-outs proposed in the UK in years, with the first unit targeted for 2034 and the full fleet expected to be rolled out across three sites.

The group says the reactors could account for as much as 11% of Britain’s electricity demand, although that figure will depend on final siting, approvals and financing. According to the consortium, the plants would deliver around 4.2 gigawatts of capacity and would be built around GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s BWRX-300 design.

The others in the project team are: Samsung C&T, Laing O’Rourke, Aecon Group, Google Cloud, Fermi Development, Etara and an un-named nuclear operator.

The Oldbury-on-Severn site in South Gloucestershire has been identified as one possible location for the first six BWRX-300 units, putting the proposal into competition with other nuclear ambitions already under discussion in the UK.

The technology at the heart of the plan is intended to be built more quickly than conventional large reactors because much of it can be manufactured in factories and assembled on site.

The World Nuclear Association says the BWRX-300 is a 300-megawatt water-cooled reactor designed to be compact and suitable for a range of uses, including electricity generation.

GE Vernova Hitachi has argued that small modular reactors can improve energy security while supporting lower-carbon power, a pitch that comes as governments across Europe look for faster ways to expand nuclear capacity.

The proposal lands at a difficult moment for Britain’s nuclear programme. Hinkley Point C has suffered major delays and cost overruns, while Sizewell C has also seen its estimated price rise sharply. At the same time, the government is pushing ahead with a wider SMR strategy, including work at Wylfa in Wales, where ministers say the programme is already generating substantial UK contracts.

John O’Connor, group commercial director at Laing O’Rourke, said: “Laing O’Rourke brings the power of its nuclear experience and pioneering industrialised construction methods to the development of Small Modular Reactors, like this programme, of which we are pleased to play a part.’

‘We are applying lessons learned from the use of advanced manufacturing in the construction of large-scale and other complex infrastructure to boost safety and certainty for our partners and clients.’