Rolls-Royce today welcomes the announcement that Rolls-Royce SMR has signed a landmark contract with Great British Energy – Nuclear that paves the way for the design and delivery of the first small modular reactors (SMRs) in the UK. This marks another important step on the journey of Rolls-Royce SMR towards creating high-skilled jobs, improving the UK’s energy security, boosting the supply chain and generating economic growth for the nation.
In November last year, the UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, announced that three SMRs will be sited at Wylfa, on the coast of Ynys Môn (Anglesey) in North Wales. That followed the news in July that Czech utility CEZ Group had signed an early works agreement enabling the launch of site work in Czechia for Rolls-Royce SMR to provide up to 3GW of low-carbon energy.
Today’s two-stage contract with GBE-N will enable site-specific design activity and preparations for the site build at Wylfa, as well as allowing Rolls-Royce SMR to order long lead-time equipment from the supply chain. The contract brings certainty to the UK SMR programme and differentiates Rolls-Royce SMR as the only company with multiple commitments in Europe.
Tufan Erginbilgic, CEO, Rolls-Royce, said, “This is a critical milestone for Rolls-Royce SMR, for Rolls-Royce and for the UK as the Government looks to realise its ambition of a ‘golden age’ of new nuclear. It is a vote of confidence in our unique nuclear capabilities and further evidence that the strategic choices we have made in the transformation of Rolls-Royce are delivering. It also provides crucial contractual certainty in our domestic market that will unlock the opportunity to deploy a global fleet of Rolls-Royce SMRs.
“Rolls-Royce SMR now has multiple commitments in Europe and is well placed to become a market leader globally. As activity ramps up in the UK and in the Czech Republic, these projects are already generating returns.”
This contract with GBE-N will help Rolls-Royce SMR retain its crucial first mover advantage in a market that is growing and attracting significant international interest. The business is currently the furthest through any European regulatory process.
