Big future for small reactors in the UK?

摘要

Recently, the UK government has been sending out some very positive signals about its support for small modular reactors, a concept that has been discussed in the nuclear industry for several decades. Some ￡250 million is being made available over the next five years for nuclear research and development, aimed at reviving the "UK's nuclear expertise" and positioning "the UK as a global leader in innovative nuclear technologies" and a key element of this new funding will be a programme of work to help pave the way for construction of an SMR facility in the UK in the 2020s. This follows the publication, in December 2014, of a feasibility report by a consortium led by NNL (National Nuclear Laboratory) into the potential impact of SMR technology on the UK energy sector and the UK nuclear supply chain, which led to a second phase of work aiming to provide the technical, financial and economic evidence base required to support a government policy decision on SMRs.