Ed Miliband told to hurry up on mini nukes as Rolls-Royce narrows shortlist

Ed Miliband is under pressure to speed up the deployment of mini nuclear weapons in the UK after the Government narrowed a short list of companies competing to go ahead with the project.

The Energy Secretary has been urged to move faster to approve small modular reactors (SMRs), which are cheaper and quicker to build than full-size nuclear power plants, amid fears Britain will be left behind.

The calls come after Rolls-Royce was named along with three rivals for the next stage of the competition to develop mini nuclear weapons in the UK.

American company NuScale was left out of the race this week, while French giant EDF withdrew.

The companies were initially told the shortlist would be reduced to four by the end of August, but the election delayed the decision.

The delay has fueled fears that Britain is dragging its feet. Rolls-Royce was chosen last week by the Czech Republic as the preferred SMR supplier to state electricity group CEZ.

The Mail on Sunday then revealed that Rolls was also in talks with Sweden and the Netherlands.

Shadow energy minister Claire Coutinho said: “It is clear that Labor is not putting the same emphasis on nuclear energy as the Conservatives.”

“You can’t build an energy policy based solely on wind and solar, as Ed Miliband seems to want to do, so you need to act faster to make sure other countries don’t take advantage of Britain when it comes to energy.” next generation of energy”. nuclear.’

Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: “Other countries are selecting their technologies and we must also move at the same pace, and that includes selecting the sites and the number of units so that we can provide certainty to the chain supply and to host communities.

“We expect to see rapid progress in the coming months on SMRs and large-scale projects.”

Rolls-Royce communications spokesman Dan Gould last week urged Labor to act faster. “We would like the Government to make a decision before the end of the year,” he said.

The company has been shortlisted by Vattenfall, the Swedish multinational electricity company, to meet the growing demand for electricity.

In the Netherlands, Rolls-Royce has signed an exclusive agreement with Dutch development company ULC-Energy to work together on the deployment of SMR.

Rolls is awaiting approval from the government of both countries.

The US-Japanese alliance GE-Hitachi and US companies Westinghouse and Holtec are still competing in the UK design competition, which was first announced in 2015 by then-chancellor George Osborne.

It was not until 2023 that the government agency Great British Nuclear launched the official design competition.

Six contenders were announced in October 2023 and bids were submitted in July. A winner is expected to be selected later this year or early 2025.

A spokesperson for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero said: ‘We are reversing a legacy of failing to deliver new nuclear energy, ensuring the long-term security of the nuclear sector.

‘SMRs will play an important role in helping the UK achieve energy security and clean energy, while ensuring thousands of good, skilled jobs.

“Four companies, Great British Nuclear has confirmed, will progress to the next stage of the small modular reactor competition and will be invited to enter into negotiations.”