Canada beats Britain in race to launch first mini-nuclear reactor in the West
Canada has approved the construction of the first mini-nuclear reactor in the West, beating Britain in the race to approve the technology.
The Government of Ontario has endorsed a multibillion-dollar plan for GE Hitachi to build four small nuclear reactors (SMRs), with the first to be operational by 2029. The project will create 18,000 jobs and cost C$20.9bn (£11.3bn).
The decision comes as GE Hitachi vies to build Britain's first mini-nuclear reactor, competing in a government-led competition against Britain's Rolls-Royce and US company Holtec. The UK is not expected to have its own SMR up and running until the mid-2030s.
Andy Champ, GE Hitachi's UK director, said: 'The decision to proceed with construction in Canada means our BWRX-300 is the only SMR in the Western world with a contract to deploy, making us the lowest-risk choice.'
Great British Nuclear (GBN) is expected to announce the winning bidders of its SMR contract this summer, with participants expected to build three to four small reactors.
The competition to bring the power plants to Britain has been repeatedly delayed in what has been described as a 'tortuously slow' Whitehall process. The winning technologies was initially supposed to be chosen by late 2024, but that timeline has repeatedly slipped.
The delays have led to warnings from industry that Britain risked falling behind in the global race to capitalise on the technology. Nations that award the initial contracts are likely to see factories assembled in their country, something that may not be a given as the industry evolves. Tufan Erginbilgiç, the boss of Rolls-Royce, told The Telegraph last year that Britain risked losing 'first-mover advantage'.
SMRs are viewed as a key breakthrough in nuclear technology, since they can be made in factories and assembled on site, cutting the building time for a new nuclear power plant from decades to years, saving billions of pounds.
GBN has advertised contracts worth £20bn in total for 'technology partners', a figure expected to be shared among two winning bids. However, that budget is expected to come under pressure from the Chancellor's cross-departmental spending review.
The four Canadian reactors will provide enough clean energy for 1.2m homes and produce 1,200 megawatts (MW) of power. The government-owned Ontario Power Generation will install a GE Hitachi BWRX-300, which uses commercially available uranium to generate power.
'This is a historic day for Canada as we start construction on the first small modular reactor in the G7,' said Stephen Lecce, minister for energy.
'This nation-building project being built right here in Ontario will be led by Canadian workers using Canadian steel, concrete and materials to help deliver the extraordinary amount of reliable and clean power we will need to deliver on our ambitious plan to protect Ontario and unleash our economy.'
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