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The first of a new generation of small modular reactors could be built at one of three sites in the north of England or north Wales by a consortium led by Rolls-Royce, The Mail on Sunday reported.

The newspaper said a number of existing licensed nuclear sites have already been informally discussed by the government.

It quoted a nuclear industry source as saying: “There is broad support for this programme from Government.”

The sites under consideration include Moorside in Cumbria and Wylfa in North Wales, where plans for large-scale reactor projects have recently been shelved. “It is understood that other locations being considered include Trawsfynydd in Snowdonia, North Wales,” the newspaper said.

Trawsfynydd, which had two 195-MW gas-cooled Magnox reactors, is on a 15-hectare site, on an inland lake in Snowdonia National Park. Both reactors were permanently shut down in 1991.

Rolls-Royce has said the target cost for each new SMR is £1.8bn by the time five have been built, with further savings possible.

A programme to build up to 16 SMRs by 2050 could create up to 40,000 jobs, contribute £52bn of value to the UK economy and £250bn of exports.

Each power station will be able to operate for 60 years and provide 440MW of electricity, which is enough to power a city.

In November Rolls Royce said it expects to develop its first-of-a-kind SMRs in Cumbria, northwest England.

The company said is focusing its efforts on developing SMRs at existing licensed nuclear sites – with Moorside and Wylfa its top targets.

In July the government said it will invest up to £18m to support the design of the UK-made SMRs. UK Research and Innovation pledged to provide a further £18m, which will be matched by members of the consortium and will be used to prepare the technology for the UK’s regulatory generic design assessment process.

The government said in July that the Rolls-Royce consortium had proposed a significant joint investment of more than £500m focused on designing a first-of-a-kind SMR.

The Rolls Royce consortium also includes the National Nuclear Laboratory, Wood, Atkins, Laing O’Rourke, Assystem, BAM Nuttall, The Welding Institute and Nuclear AMRC.

It has said it aims to have the first working model up-and-running in the early 2030s

Date: Tuesday, 21 January 2020
Original article: nucnet.org/news/rolls-royce-consortium-considering-three-sites-for-first-smr-1-1-2020