Rolls-Royce to power 3 million UK homes with 1.5 GW nuclear reactors

Rolls-Royce has been selected by the UK government and the state-owned Great British Energy – Nuclear as the preferred bidder to develop the country’s first fleet of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). The project aims to generate 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, enough to power approximately 3 million homes. Unlike traditional nuclear plants built entirely on-site, these SMRs will be factory-manufactured in modules and then assembled at the final location, a method intended to reduce construction costs, complexity, and delays. Each Rolls-Royce SMR will produce 470 megawatts, with the technology expected to begin generating power by 2032 at the earliest. This initiative is part of a broader UK nuclear strategy that includes a £14.2 billion investment in the large Sizewell C power station and a £2.5 billion commitment to the SMR program during the current Spending Review period. The government highlights that SMRs are smaller, quicker to build,