A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Rolls-Royce SMR Limited and Sheffield Forgemasters to jointly explore commercial mechanisms for a long-term collaboration on the supply of forgings to the Rolls-Royce UK small modular reactor fleet. A Rolls-Royce-led UK SMR consortium aims to build up to 10 SMRs by 2035.

EDF Energy will 'get on with' work to construct two EPR units at Sizewell C in Suffolk, UK, as soon as it receives government permission, which could come within six months, said the project's director of financing, Julia Pyke. She added that the company is working to fuel the reactors with recycled uranium.

The UK will build a high-temperature gas reactor as the centrepiece of its Advanced Modular Reactor Research, Development & Demonstration Programme, energy minister Greg Hands has confirmed. "I'm pleased to announce that we will focus on HTGRs as the technology choice for the programme moving forward," he told the Nuclear2021 conference organised in London by the Nuclear Industry Association yesterday. His statement served as a confirmation of the technology, which had emerged as the UK government's preference after a round of consultations earlier this year.

Hunterston B Reactor 3 - a 490 MWe advanced gas-cooled reactor - was taken offline for the final time at midday on 26 November, marking the end of 46 years of operation. Its twin - Hunterston B Reactor 4 - is scheduled to shut down in January, which will see the end of power generation for the site in North Ayrshire, Scotland.

The UK's National Nuclear Laboratory and Norwegian assurance and risk management provider DNV are partnering to explore the potential use of advanced nuclear technologies for the conversion of UK gas networks to hydrogen. The collaboration will enable both the nuclear and gas sectors to gain a deeper understanding of priorities and assess barriers and next steps on aspects including regulation, safety, siting and economics.

Carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity generated by the UK's newest nuclear power plants will be even lower than wind and solar power, a new analysis has confirmed. A detailed and independently verified study into lifetime emissions from Hinkley Point C was carried out for EDF by environmental specialists Ricardo Energy & Environment and verified by engineering consultants WSP.

Rolls-Royce SMR Limited has submitted its 470 MWe small modular reactor design for entry to the UK's Generic Design Assessment regulatory process. The review of the SMR design - based on a small pressurised water reactor - will formally begin once the government has assessed the company's capability and capacity to successfully enter the GDA process.

The first of two community partnerships has been formed in Copeland, Cumbria, UK, to take forward discussions around siting a geological disposal facility for high-level radioactive waste. The move comes a year after an initial Copeland Working Group was established. A second partnership is expected to be formed soon in neighbouring South Copeland.

EDF Energy hailed the "replication effect" of series nuclear build as it completed a major lift at Hinkley Point C. Placing the first ring of unit 2's reactor building was done 25% faster than the same procedure for unit 1, the company said.

After three years of careful dismantling, the square-shaped diffuser has now been removed from the top of the Windscale Pile Chimney on the Sellafield site in Cumbria, UK. The achievement has removed the seismic risk associated with the chimney, the remainder of which will now be dismantled.

British engineering group Rolls-Royce has announced the establishment of a new business - Rolls-Royce SMR Limited - for the deployment and commercialisation of its small modular reactor technology. The announcement follows the securing of GBP210 million (USD285 million) in funding from the UK government, matched by more than GBP250 million of private investment. 

The UK government has announced up to GBP1.7 billion (USD2.3 billion) in funding for a large-scale nuclear power plant in its autumn budget and spending review. It said it is in "active negotiations" with EDF over the Sizewell C project in Suffolk. The announcement comes days after the government introduced legislation for funding future nuclear power stations in the UK.