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UK government seems to commit to exploring smaller modular designs rather than the monsters at Sizewell and HinkleyNew logo, new faces, and new promises to move at “unprecedented scale and pace” in driving the expansion of nuclear power in the UK. One should regard the fanfare for Great British Nuclear, the new government body, with scepticism because nothing moves quickly in the world of nuclear energy. Hinkley Point C, the enormous project in Somerset, is years behind schedule and Grant Shapps, the energy secretary, arrived bearing no fresh news on how (or if) the successor station at Sizewell C in Suffolk will be funded.Yet there was a genuinely interesting – and welcome – piece of news. The government finally seems committed to exploring small modular reactors (SMRs), the cut-down versions of a nuclear power plant that have the potential – a crucial qualification at this stage – to become more commercially interesting prospects than monsters the size of Hinkley and Sizewell. A competition to pick the best designs will be run. Continue reading...