A European consortium led by SGE has presented a large-scale project to build 14 small modular nuclear reactors at three sites in the United Kingdom.
- 💷 Total program cost: 35 billion pounds sterling
- ⚡ Electricity supply: around eight million homes (up to 11% of the country’s needs)
- 🗓️ First unit: is expected to enter service in 2034
- 🔌 Total fleet capacity: 4.2 gigawatts
The project is based on the BWRX-300 reactor rated at 300 megawatts, developed by GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy. This water-cooled unit is compact and enables factory fabrication of the main modules followed by on-site assembly, which significantly speeds up construction compared with traditional large reactors.
Consortium members:
- Samsung C&T
- Laing O’Rourke
- Aecon Group
- Google Cloud
- Fermi Development
- Etara
- one unnamed nuclear power plant operator
One likely site for the first six BWRX-300 reactors is the Oldbury-on-Severn location in South Gloucestershire. The project is moving forward against the backdrop of serious delays and cost overruns at the UK nuclear plants under construction, Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C, while the government continues to promote a small modular reactor strategy, including at the Wylfa site in Wales.
Commenting on participation in the program, Laing O’Rourke Commercial Director John O’Connor said the company is applying its accumulated experience in the nuclear sector and advanced industrial construction methods to improve safety and schedule predictability for all project participants.