The government has shortlisted four firms that could build a raft of new miniature nuclear power plants in the UK known as small modular reactors (SMR).

British firm Rolls-Royce SMR, which has been exploring the technology for several years, is one of the contenders, alongside GE Hitachi, Holtec Britain and Westinghouse Electric Company.

The tender to build the new SMRs was first announced by Great British Nuclear (GBN) last year, with six possible entrants including EDF, which ultimately failed to submit a bid by the deadline, and US firm NuScale Power, which was eliminated from the process earlier this week. A spokesperson for NuScale said it had been told it did not need additional support getting to market because it had already begun production of its reactor designs.

The shortlist will be whittled down to two winners before the end of the year, with contract negotiations to take place in the spring.

SMRs are easier to scale and more affordable than building larger nuclear power plants...