A US company has been knocked out of a competition to build the first mini-nuclear power plants in Britain, leaving four contenders in the running.
Executives at NuScale Power were told on Wednesday afternoon that they had been eliminated from the small modular reactor (SMR) design competition.
The decision by officials at Great British Nuclear (GBN), a government agency, leaves four companies battling to secure support for their proposed technologies: Rolls-Royce, Westinghouse, GE-Hitachi and Holtec Britain.
Those businesses will now progress to the final stage of the process, which will see them submit “final best offers” to the Government.
GBN is then expected to announce two winners either late this year or early in 2025, with the companies then awarded sites and funding.
Earlier this year, a sixth company, the French state-owned energy giant EDF, effectively dropped out of the contest when it decided not to submit a bid by the required deadline.
On Wednesday, a spokesman for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “We are reversing a legacy of no new nuclear power being delivered, ensuring the long-term security of the nuclear sector.
“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.
“Four companies, confirmed by Great British Nuclear, will move to the next stage of the Small Modular Reactor competition and will be invited to enter negotiations.”
GBN is expected to formally announce the shortlist of four companies shortly.
A spokesman for NuScale also confirmed the decision. He said the company had been told it did not meet the criteria for the SMR competition as it had already begun production of its reactors and did not need support getting to market.
The decision is a fresh blow to NuScale, which suffered another setback last November when its $1.4bn (£1bn) project to build a plant for a Utah power provider was cancelled amid spiralling costs.
NuScale has insisted its reactors are some of the most advanced globally and that work continues in the US and other countries.
SMRs are seen as a potential breakthrough for nuclear energy as they could cut the cost of reactors and the time needed to build them.
They would be built in factory-produced “modules” and then rapidly assembled on site, with supporters arguing that the ability to produce them at scale will deliver significant savings.
The Government has not yet confirmed where the first SMRs will be built. However, GBN purchased sites in Wylfa, on the Welsh island of Anglesey; and Oldbury, Gloucestershire, earlier this year.
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