Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to approve plans for small modular reactor production in the UK.

Nuclear has an important role to play in the UK energy system as we strive toa chieve net zero emissions by 2050.

The Government has awarded up to £210m to support development of the Rolls Royce Small Modular Reactor (SMR) design. The Rolls-Royce SMR entered the Generic Design Assessment process in April becoming the first SMR to begin UK nuclear regulation.

The Government has also announced the Future Nuclear Enabling Fund (FNEF) of up to £120m to support future nuclear projects, including SMRs, address barriers to entry.

The British Energy Security Strategy sets out the Government’s intention to take two Final Investment Decisions on new nuclear projects in the next parliament and to initiate a selection process for projects in 2023, including SMRs.