https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Britain investing in nuclear, will hold small modular nuclear reactor competition

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, photographed on Wednesday before delivering his Autumn Statement to the House of Commons

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, photographed on Wednesday before delivering his Autumn Statement to the House of Commons

Photo by Bloomberg

26th November 2015

By: Keith Campbell

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

  

Font size: - +

In his Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 on Wednesday, British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced that the UK government was “doubling our spending on energy research with a major commitment to small modular nuclear reactors”. In a document posted on its website, the UK Treasury stated that at least £250-million would be invested specifically in a civil nuclear research and development (R&D) programme.

Britain was once a world leader in civil nuclear technology and reactor design. Lack of new investment in the sector for many years saw this expertise wither away. The intent of the new R&D programme is to revive the country’s civil nuclear expertise and establish the country as a global leader in innovative nuclear technologies.

Part of this will be the launch of a competition – the details of which will be announced early next year – to seek the small modular reactor design that will provide the best value for the UK. This competition will, in turn, lead to the construction in Britain of one of the first small modular reactors in the world.

Companies around the world known to be already developing small modular reactors include NuScale Power, Westinghouse and Babcock & Wilcox. All of these are US companies, although Westinghouse is part of Japan’s Toshiba Corporation.

South Africa’s Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) project, which was also a small modular reactor design, was effectively terminated in 2010, after R9.244-billion had been spent on it (80% of which was taxpayers’ money). China is known to be still working on the PBMR concept.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

Article Enquiry

Email Article

Save Article

Feedback

To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here

Showroom

The Steel Tube Export Association of South Africa
Steel Tube Export Association of South Africa

The Steel Tube Export Association of South Africa was established to develop sustainable, internationally competitive carbon steel tube and pipe...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Rentech
Rentech

Rentech provides renewable energy products and services to the local and selected African markets. Supplying inverters, lithium and lead-acid...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







301

sq:0.076 1.01s - 149pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now