Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with Rolls-Royce about small modular reactors (SMRs); and what progress the Office for Nuclear Regulation has made in approving those SMRs for operation.

Through our Nuclear Sector deal, Government continue to explore whether advanced nuclear technologies, such as small modular reactors, could be an important source of low carbon energy in the future.

The deal also highlights a new framework designed to aid the development of advanced nuclear technologies. The framework includes consideration of financing, siting and international collaboration as well as building regulatory readiness for advanced reactors.

The Government has committed up to £12m to build the regulatory capability and capacity of the nuclear regulators, the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency, to develop their ability to take future licensing decisions on small and advanced reactor designs.

We also committed, with the regulators, to modernise and open Generic Design Assessment (GDA) for small reactors. This regulatory process assesses the safety, security and environmental aspects of a new nuclear reactor design. In December 2018, Expressions of Interest were invited for the GDA process for small and advanced modular reactors. We have received 5 so far for GDAs commencing between 2019 and 2023. We will open a process for formal applications soon.