Rolls Royce and five other companies have passed the first stage of the UK government's competition to select developers of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs).

The six companies will now compete for government support to develop and deploy SMRs in the UK by the 2030s.

SMRs are smaller and cheaper to build than traditional nuclear reactors, and they can be manufactured in factories, which could speed up construction times.

The UK government is hoping that SMRs will help to meet its climate targets and boost energy security.

The other companies that have advanced to the next stage of the competition are:

EDF
GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy International
Holtec Britain
NuScale Power
Westinghouse Electric Company UK

Rolls Royce is the only company whose SMR technology is currently under review by European regulators.

The government said that it would launch the next stage of the competition as soon as possible, and that it hoped to announce which of the six companies would be supported by spring 2024.

If the government is successful in supporting the development and deployment of SMRs, it could help to transform the UK's nuclear power sector and make a significant contribution to the country's net-zero goals.