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Rolls-Royce boss Tufan Erginbilgic says ministers must commit to small nuclear reactors
The UK must become a world leader in building small nuclear power stations after squandering the chance to be at the forefront of the wind power revolution, according to the boss of Rolls-Royce.
Tufan Erginbilgic said Britain had “missed the opportunity” to build offshore wind turbines when the sector was taking off in the 1990s and 2000s.
“Supply chain development might have been in the UK, but in other countries it was faster and it’s somewhere else,” he said.
Erginbilgic, who has headed Rolls since early 2023, said a new type of power plant, known as a small modular reactor (SMR), has “potential to build” an industry from scratch.
Rolls is working on an SMR design based on its technology that powers nuclear submarines.
The Government wants to have a fleet of SMRs in the UK by the 2030s and is selecting two companies to build demonstration reactors.
Erginbilgic made the comments last week as Rolls unveiled record first-half profits and reinstated its dividend for the first time since the pandemic.
On Friday, Rolls Royce announced it would give out £700 worth of shares to all its staff as it celebrated a successful first 18 months under Erginbilgic.
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