A mini-nuclear reactor deal for Rolls-Royce is still at least six months away as the engineering behemoth warned ministers that Britain risks falling behind in the global race towards the game-changing technology.
The company is among several businesses expected to enter a design competition for small modular reactors (SMRs) being held by the Government, which will choose projects to co-fund.
But despite months of delays already, ministers have said the final outcome will not be revealed until 2024.
Alan Woods, director of strategy and business development at Rolls-Royce SMR, warned that the energy crisis in the wake of the Ukraine war had galvanised several countries to pursue SMRs with fresh urgency.
Speaking at the Northern Nuclear Conference, in Carlisle, he said: “The challenge we have is, whilst we were probably ahead, what we’re seeing now, certainly across Europe is it’s not just about net zero. It’s about energy security.
“And that’s driving a real real push for energy independence, and new nuclear. That means a lot of the processes that are running internationally are compressing, they’re coming forward and that puts a challenge on us, because we cannot continue to be credible in those processes whilst we still haven’t got a project that we can point to in the UK.
“That’s really one of our critical issues. So that’s why we’re impressing on government that pace is important. They recognise that… and they’re running a process now. Let’s keep that pace going.”
Ministers are preparing to officially launch Great British Nuclear (GBN), the state-backed body tasked with finding sites for SMRs and readying them for development, on July 13.
GBN will oversee the design competition. Andrew Bowie, minister for nuclear, told The Telegraph that GBN is expected to make initial announcements about the competition in October and then reveal its final conclusion “early next year”.
The Government had previously suggested projects would be chosen by the autumn.
Some in the nuclear industry are growing concerned that a looming general election next year could delay decisions on Britain’s nuclear programme further.
A plethora of sites across the UK are being put forward as potential locations for SMRs, including Sellafield, in Cumbria – the site of Britain’s first civil nuclear programme and where Solway Community Power Company hopes to develop one of the first Rolls-Royce plants.
John Stevenson, the Conservative MP for Carlisle and organiser of Friday’s conference, said: “If you are going to have a renaissance in nuclear, it’s got to start in those locations which already have an acceptance of nuclear.