Nuclear power |
Small reactors with a big range of use cases
As well as power generation, small modular reactors also lend themselves to CHP applications Drew Robb
Rolls-Royce SMR. Source of images: Rolls-Royce SMR
The UK recently completed a lengthy selection process for what could signal the revival of its nuclear industry. Great British Energy – Nuclear selected Rolls-Royce SMR as the preferred bidder to develop small modular reactors (SMRs), subject to final government approvals and contract signature.
“We are ending the no-nuclear status quo as part of our Plan for Change and are entering a golden age of nuclear with the biggest building programme in a generation,” said UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.
“Great British Energy – Nuclear has run a rigorous competition and will now work with the preferred bidder Rolls-Royce SMR to build the country’s first ever small modular reactors – creating thousands of jobs and growing our regional economies while strengthening our energy security.”
Traditional nuclear plants typically deliver 1 GW of generating capacity. SMRs will be in the 30 MW to 300 MW range, though designs of only a few MW have also been proposed. The market will ultimately determine the optimum size. The intent is to utilise modular construction techniques to reduce build time to a few years, rather than the decade or more often required for a conventional large scale nuclear power plant.
This flexibility enables SMRs to be open to a great many use cases. Some may focus purely on power generation. Others may opt for a combined heat and power (CHP) model whereby they produce power as well as steam that can be used for district heating and in industrial processes.
Nuclear renaissance
The popular perception is that nuclear energy had its heyday in the sixties and seventies when
14 | June 2025|
www.modernpowersystems.com
The Westinghouse AP300 small modular reactor provides 300 MWe (900 MWt). Source: Westinghouse Electric
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