---
title: "Rolls-Royce Is Building Tiny Nuclear Reactors"
description: "Rolls-Royce is eyeing two building sites for its first mini nuclear power stations called \"small modular reactors\" (SMR) in Wales and northern England."
date: "2020-01-22"
modified: "2020-01-22"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/rolls-royce-tiny-nuclear-reactors"
categories:
  - "Energy"
  - "Nuclear Fusion"
  - "Renewable Energy"
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "nuclear power"
  - "nuclear power plants"
  - "nuclear reactors"
  - "Rolls-Royce"
  - "the digest"
---

# Rolls-Royce Is Building Tiny Nuclear Reactors

![Rolls-Royce is eyeing two building sites for its first mini nuclear power stations called "small modular reactors" (SMR) in Wales and northern England.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/rolls-royce-tiny-modular-nuclear-reactors.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Rolls-Royce\</em\>*

## Lil Nuke

Rolls-Royce doesn't just manufacture luxurious cars — it's also involved in futuristic projects ranging from [electric planes](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/electric-airplane-rolls-royce-accel>) to [laser weapon systems](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/rolls-royce-laser-weapons>).

Now, the company is eyeing two sites for tiny nuclear power stations it calls "small modular reactors," [*Popular Mechanics* reports](<https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a30614502/rolls-royce-tiny-nuclear-power/>), in Wales and northern England — a program the UK government committed to funding in July 2019.

## Mega What

The planned nuclear reactors are just [a tenth](<https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/dec/03/mini-nuclear-power-stations-uk-government-funding>) the size of traditional nuclear reactors and are much easier and far quicker to build as well, [the company promises](<https://www.rolls-royce.com/products-and-services/nuclear/small-modular-reactors.aspx#/>). The new reactors take just four years to build, while the shortest build time of UK's previous reactors was eight years, according to *Popular Mechanics*.

Rolls-Royce [says](<https://www.rolls-royce.com/~/media/Files/R/Rolls-Royce/documents/customers/nuclear/a-national-endeavour.pdf>) each station will provide 440 megawatts of electricity — roughly [three quarters](<https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-t-z/united-kingdom.aspx>) what a traditional reactor generates — but in a much smaller footprint.

## Future Shock

The UK is currently working to shut down its existing nuclear plants thanks to aging infrastructure and renewed safety concerns, with the goal to [close the last one by 2030](<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/03/fate-of-uks-nuclear-power-stations-in-doubt-over-ageing-infrastructure>).

But prime minister Boris Johnson stands firmly behind a nuclear future.

"It is time for a nuclear renaissance and I believe passionately that nuclear must be part of our energy mix," [he said in July](<https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/UKs-new-premier-promises-boost-for-nuclear-power>) during his first day in the House of Commons.

**READ MORE:** [These Tiny Nuclear Power Stations Could Be, Well, Huge](<https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a30614502/rolls-royce-tiny-nuclear-power/>) \[*Popular Mechanics*\]

**More on nuclear power:** *[Fukushima Plans to Power Region With 100% Renewable Energy](<https://futurism.com/fukushima-power-100-renewable-energy>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)