Updated: Competition closed, list of eligible participants published.

At the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, government announced that it would invest in an ambitious nuclear research and development programme, enabling the UK to be a global leader in innovative nuclear technologies. This included a competition to gather evidence to inform policy development on SMRs.

In March 2016, government launched the first phase of the SMR competition as an evidence-gathering phase with the goal of gauging market interest among technology developers, utilities, and potential investors.

Eligibility for the phase one dialogue was determined using a set of criteria, described in the Eligibility Criteria Checklist, Expression of Interest and Declaration document. We also asked interested parties to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI).

Expressions of interest were received from 33 eligible participants. Officials worked with these participants to understand the technological and commercial viability of new reactors in development. As an information gathering process, phase one did not involve down-selection. All eligible participants were given the opportunity to engage with government to inform policy development.

Following successful engagement with industry, the competition closed in October 2017. This exercise provided valuable insight into the advanced nuclear technologies market. We are grateful to all entrants for their participation.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/small-modular-reactors-competition-phase-one