UK Nuclear SMR Competition

What is going on in the world of SMRs and Advanced Nuclear Technologies

Introduction

This is the first of a series of two articles that will look at developments in the world of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Nuclear Technologies. This article will compare the reactors short-listed in the Government’s SMR programme. The second will examine advanced nuclear technologies and the companies are looking to exploit those technologies in new advanced reactors.

What are SMRs?

Typical large nuclear reactors are of 1GW capacity or more and are often built in clusters of 2, 3 or 4 reactors to deliver a power plant generating 3-5GW of power. Most of the construction of this type of project tends to be carried out on-site in relatively uncontrolled conditions which is one of the reasons why they suffer from cost overruns. One way of mitigating this is to standardise on a smaller design that can be largely constructed as modules in the controlled conditions of a factory where it is easier to control quality and economies can be achieved from improving processes over time through production of a relatively large volume of power plants. This is where SMRs come in.

The World Nuclear Association defines SMRs as nuclear reactors with an electrical output of 300MW or less. However, the definition is somewhat fluid because Rolls Royce’s reactor design is classified as an SMR even though its design has a capacity of 470MW. The WNA lists over 50 designs, including very small reactors under 25MW, either operating or under development.

Generally speaking, SMRs cover conventional light water reactors as well as more advanced reactor types. However, the UK Government appears to have made a distinction between SMRs based on conventional designs and what it terms Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) utilising more exotic technologies.

UK Government SMR Programme

Last summer, Great British Nuclear announced its competition to select SMR technologies that would receive an “unprecedented level of support,” including funding to support development, and support in accessing sites. Last October, it was announced that six companies had been selected to go through to the next stage of the competition. These companies have been invited to bid for Government contracts with successful companies targeted to be announced this spring with contracts awarded in the summer. However, it was recently announced that the timeline for announcing the successful candidates has been delayed to later this year. It is unclear whether the overall target to have SMRs operating by the mid-2030s remains in place.

The six successful companies were EDF, GE-Hitachi, Holtec, NuScale Power, Rolls-Royce and Westinghouse.

UK SMR Competition Shortlist

Using the IAEA SMR book 2022, we can produce a high-level comparison of the designs.

Comparison of SMRs in UK Competition

Rolls-Royce SMR

The Rolls-Royce SMR is already in Step 2 of the UK Generic Design Assessment (GDA) by the Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR)  which puts it ahead of other designs in the process to secure consent for operation in the UK. This may give this design an advantage over other designs for speed of deployment in the UK. Rolls-Royce also say they are deeply engaged with potential customers in the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, USA, Poland and the Netherlands. At 470MWe, the Rolls-Royce design also significantly larger than other designs, although in 12-module form, the NuScale VOYGR design is 924MWe, but has a much larger on-ground footprint.

GE-Hitachi BWRX-300

The GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 is also well advanced, with Ontario Power Generation signing a contract last year for the deployment of four reactors at their site in Darlington, Ontario. This design is also being advanced in Tennessee, Poland, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Estonia. The UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation began the first stage of the GDA for the BWRX-300 in January this year. Unique among the short-listed designs, the BWRX-300 is a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR), whereas the others are all versions of a Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR). This means that operating pressures and temperatures are lower.

Holtec SMR-300

The table above, taken from the IAEA SMR book for 2022, refers to Holtec SMR-160 for details of the specification. However, the company is now referring to the SMR-300 and the details it publishes on its website are sketchy. The SMR-300 began the first stage of the UK GDA in December last year. They are also claiming the first two SMR-300 units will be built at the Palisades site in Michigan, due for commissioning by mid-2030.

Westinghouse SMR/AP300

Westinghouse is another company where the name and specification of its SMR has changed recently. The specification details above relate to what was called simply the Westinghouse SMR. However, more recently the company has started to refer to its offering as the AP300 with a higher power output. The company is positioning its design as based on AP1000 technology, which is its large nuclear power plant, licensed and operating in many countries across the world. Apparently short-circuiting the Government’s SMR competition, it was announced in February that Community Nuclear Power (CNP) will lead a project to build four AP300 SMRs in North Teesside. CNP claim to have secured the site and private funding to deliver the project. However, the company was only incorporated in September 2022 and has yet to file a set of accounts, so their claims have to be treated with some scepticism for the time being. Westinghouse announced in February that they have applied to enter the GDA process, but the ONR does not yet list this design as being assessed.

NuScale VOYGR

The design is that is most advanced in terms of timeline is probably the NuScale VOYGR reactor which has received US design approval and already has long lead time materials in production. However, this design does not appear to have been submitted for assessment by the ONR. This design is marketed as a modular design where groups of four, six or twelve units can be grouped together to form larger power plants. However, NuScale’s first project in Idaho was cancelled last year because of rising costs. Nevertheless, Nuscale claims significant interest in their technology in many countries including the US, Canada, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

EDF Nuward SMR

The EDF Nuward design appears to be the least well-developed design, with the Nuward subsidiary only being formed in March of last year. However, EDF signed a cooperation agreement with Poland’s Respect Energy in January last year to work on the development of nuclear power projects in Poland based on NUWARD SMR technology.

Potential Outcomes

The fact that the ONR is currently assessing only three designs for approval, Rolls-Royce, GE-Hitachi and Holtec, perhaps gives a clue as to the outcome of the competition. Westinghouse may well bypass the competition and proceed anyway if CNP can raise money. NuScale does not appear to be focusing on western Europe with all its European projects in former Eastern Bloc countries. France’s Nuward project looks to be too immature to consider at this stage.

I believe nuclear power is going to be a strategically important industry in the coming decades and SMRs will play a large part in the ongoing nuclear renaissance. We therefore need to rebuild nuclear capability in the UK specifically and the west in general. It seems obvious that the Rolls-Royce design should be fast-tracked through the process, with one or both GE-Hitachi and Holtec designs being awarded a runner up spot to ensure there is some continuing competition and less concentrated risk.

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