Rolls-Royce to launch UK mini nuclear reactors business

By Adam Houser

Well known for their fancy, old-school, luxury cars, Rolls-Royce is trying to take its reputation for the “high life” and put it to something everyone could afford: energy.

The Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor (SMR) business is a public-private partnership, with 195 million pounds coming from private investment and 210 million pounds coming from the UK government.

The business will create mini nuclear reactors to start supplementing electricity generation in the United Kingdom.

As reported by BBC:

“Rolls-Royce SMR said one of its power stations would occupy about one tenth of the size of a conventional nuclear plant – the equivalent footprint of two football pitches – and power approximately one million homes.

“The firm said a plant would have the capacity to generate 470MW of power, which it added would be the same produced by more than 150 onshore wind turbines.”

If the plants get final approval, Rolls-Royce could develop 16 reactors for use across the United Kingdom.

To read the full story in BBC, click here.

Author

Adam Houser coordinates student leaders as National Director of CFACT’s collegians program and writes on issues of climate and energy.

From cfact.org