Photo: ANP
The British government is earmarking 157 million pounds (183 million euros) for new grants to build small nuclear reactors. With that money, the UK hopes the companies will speed up their research into small modular reactors (SMRs).
The British government has set a target of producing a quarter of its electricity from nuclear power by 2050. The country wants to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and reduce emissions. The grants are part of a larger British nuclear initiative. SMR reactors must be much smaller than conventional nuclear reactors. So they can be made very cheaply and quickly. Most reactors must be built in a factory and then transported to the site.
The development of such reactors is still in its infancy. Companies including Rolls-Royce are carrying out work for this. The British company received a grant of £210 million in 2021 for research on SMRs.
The United Kingdom is also building new large power plants. These are Hinckley Point C and Sizewell C, which are being built by French energy group EDF.
