In today's podcast we’re going to explore the UK government's latest announcement to invest vast sums of public cash in the nuclear industry.

The latest spending review included £14.2bn to kickstart the Sizewell C plant and £2.5bn to underpin ongoing research into fusion technology. But crucially, it also outlined plans to pump £2.5bn into Small Modular Reactor development – something that I think is perhaps one of the most ambitious – and transformational announcements in the UK’s energy history.

And it’s this announcement that I really want to focus on today.

But it is also clear that after decades of hesitation, the UK government – through it’s public energy business Great British Nuclear part of GB Energy - has committed to a bold new era of nuclear power, And its backing it with public cash. 

So what does this actually mean in practice? 

• What is an SMR – and why is the government betting on them to power millions of homes and secure the nation’s energy future? 
• How do these small, factory-built reactors compare to the large-scale nuclear power plants like Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C? 
• And critically – can we really deliver this bold vision on time, on budget, and with the skilled workforce we need?

Well to unpack all of this – and help make sense of the opportunities and challenges ahead – I’m joined once again on the Infrastructure Podcast by Tim Stone, Non-Executive Director, Great British Nuclear and former chair of the Nuclear Industry Association, the body at the heart of this once-in-a-generation transformation and my go to mind for all things nuclear.

Resources

• Government press release on SMRs
• Rolls Royce SMR press release 
• Government press release on Sizewell C
• Great British Energy - Nuclear
• Nuclear Industry Association release on nuclear investment