There were initially six companies shortlisted last year by Great British Nuclear - the arms-length body set up to oversee the UK's plans for new nuclear. The six were EDF, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy International, Holtec Britain, Nuscale, Rolls-Royce SMR and Westinghouse Electric Company UK. The six were invited to submit initial tenders by July, and EDF, whose Nuward SMR was in the running, dropped out at that stage.

In a short statement on Thursday, Great British Nuclear (GBN) said it had now concluded the initial tender phase of the technology selection process and selected GE Hitachi, Holtec, Rolls-Royce SMR and Westinghouse, with NuScale - who had put forward the VOYGR SMR - not going through. The statement said: "In the next stage of the procurement process bidders will be invited to enter negotiations with GBN."

Reaction

Among those through to the next stage, GE Hitachi's UK country leader Andy Champ said: "We have big ambitions for deploying our SMR technology in the UK, so we are proud to advance to the next stage of GBN’s competition. With site works already under way in Canada for our first BWRX-300 – the most advanced SMR project in the G7 - we are in a strong position to lead SMR deployment in the UK by leveraging our expertise in other markets."

Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce SMR CEO, said: “Rolls-Royce SMR is the UK’s only SMR company and is already 18 months ahead of competitors in the regulatory approvals process. Today’s news that we will progress to formal negotiation with GBN will help us to maintain this important first-mover advantage. Rolls-Royce SMR has been chosen by the Czech Republic to deploy their fleet of SMRs and is in the final two in Sweden’s SMR selection process. Success in the UK will further strengthen our position as the leading SMR company and ensure the UK is able to capitalise on this transformational opportunity for the domestic supply chain."

Patrick Fragman, Westinghouse President and CEO, said: "We are pleased that GBN recognises the advantages of the AP300 SMR design, which is based on an operating reactor that is already licensed in the UK. With proven technologies and regulator familiarity, the AP300 can get to market quickly, economically and with certainty. We look forward to working with GBN through the final review and selection process."

The background

GE Hitachi is putting forward its BWRX-300, a boiling water reactor, Holtec's SMR-300 is a 300 MWe pressurised water reactor, the Rolls-Royce SMR is a 470 MWe pressurised water reactor and Westinghouse's AP300 is a 300 MWe/900MWth pressurised water reactor. They all stress that their designs are based on existing technologies and will be able to be constructed at speed and benefit from modular production techniques.

In an interview earlier this year for the World Nuclear News podcast, GBN Chairman Simon Bowen said the planned timeline was for the SMR selection shortlist to be cut to around four after the submission of responses to the tender, with the goal of placing contracts by the end of the year with two or three technology providers - this would be for co-funding the technology all the way through to completion of the design, regulatory, environmental and site-specific permissions process, and the potential to place a contract for the supply of equipment. Each selected technology would have an allocated site with the potential to host multiple SMRs.

The aim is then for a final investment decision to be taken in 2029.

There has since been a change of government, but it has pledged to continue with the process - in its election manifesto Labour said it would "end a decade of dithering that has seen the Conservatives duck decisions on nuclear power. We will ensure the long-term security of the sector, extending the lifetime of existing plants, and we will get Hinkley Point C over the line. New nuclear power stations, such as Sizewell C, and small modular reactors, will play an important role in helping the UK achieve energy security and clean power while securing thousands of good, skilled jobs".