nuclear-news

The Small Modular Nuclear Reactor dream could be over for Rolls Royce

Nucnet 23rd July 2018 , Rolls-Royce is preparing to shut down its project to develop small modularnuclear reactors if the government does not make a long-term commitment to the technology, including financial support, in the coming months, the Financial Times reported. According to the UK-based newspaper, the UK aero-engine maker has scaled back investment significantly, from several millions to simply paying for “a handful of salaries”. Warren East, Rolls-Royce chief executive, told the Financial Times:

However, David Orr, executive vice-president of Rolls-Royce’s SMR programme, said that without comfort from the government on two fronts the project “will not fly. We are coming to crunch time.”

Rolls-Royce is one of several consortia to have bid in a government-sponsored competition launched in 2015 to find the most viable technology for a new generation of SMRs. https://www.nucnet.org/all-the-news/2018/07/23/rolls-royce-planning-to-shut-down-smr-project-without-government-support

July 25, 2018 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, politics, UK