Rolls-Royce: Shares in FTSE 100 firm jump on SMR news Energy A division of Rolls-Royce has been selected to be the UK’s provider of small modular reactor (SMR) technology. Rolls-Royce SMR, which is co-owned by the FTSE 100 giant and Czech power company CEZ, has been successful in the Great British Nuclear (GBN) competition following a two-year process. Following the news, shares in Rolls-Royce rose on [...]
Why the UK can’t get a grip of its energy crisis Energy A months-long cost-of-living crisis, state bailouts of consumer energy bills, endless planning rows, judicial interventions and now the near-collapse of Britain’s only manufacturer of virgin steel all show different sides to the UK’s ongoing energy crisis. Its dependency on foreign imports, poor planning of infrastructure and lack of control over soaring bills means the extent [...]
First privately financed nuclear project begins licensing Energy A US start-up has formally entered the running to build four micro-nuclear plants in South Wales without a dime from the taxpayer. Washington-based Last Energy on Monday announced confirmation from the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) that it had entered the nuclear site licensing process for the plans. The ONR’s notice follows seven months of [...]
Small modular reactors will help growth and clean energy go nuclear February 12, 2025 While France generates most of its energy from nuclear, Britain has the highest industrial electricity costs in the world. The upfront costs of small modular reactors are high, but so is the return on investment, says John Caudwell Last month was the hottest January on record globally. It was unexpected because the natural weather phenomena [...]
Overhaul of planning barriers to nuclear power, Starmer announces February 6, 2025 An overhaul of planning barriers to make it easier to build new nuclear power plants has been announced by Keir Starmer. The move will create thousands of highly skilled jobs, the government said, as the Prime Minister confirmed red tape would be “slashed” in a bid to fast-track approval of reactors. It is set to [...]
British Gas-owner Centrica adds £300m to share buyback plan December 10, 2024 FTSE 100 giant Centrica has added another £300m to its existing share buyback plan, meaning it will have snapped up some £1.5bn in shares over the last two years. In a trading update today, the owner of British Gas said that it expected its 2024 full-year earnings and net cash to be broadly in line [...]
Centrica and EDF extend lifespan of four UK nuclear power plants December 4, 2024 Ministers see nuclear power as vital to hitting looming emissions targets, given wind and solar power projects are reliant on weather conditions.
AI is about to go nuclear – so the UK needs to, too October 31, 2024 As the artificial intelligence (AI) industry hurtles headlong towards what can only be described as nuclear-level growth, the UK needs a matching energy source to keep up. But data centres, responsible for powering the floods of new generative AI models and applications, rely on vast, consistent energy supplies to keep their servers ticking. According to [...]
Rolls-Royce sells stake in small nuclear reactor division October 29, 2024 Rolls-Royce has sold a minority stake in its small nuclear reactor division to Czech power company CEZ. The Derby-headquartered giant has handed a 20 per cent share in Rolls-Royce SMR in a deal worth hundreds of millions of pounds. CEZ plans to build the first small modular reactor at the existing Temelin nuclear plant in [...]
Tory leadership: I’ll return us to ‘party of sound money’, Robert Jenrick pledges October 16, 2024 Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick has pledged to return the Conservatives to “being the party of sound money”, if elected. The former migration minister outlined his economic plans in a speech this morning in which he admitted the Conservatives “abandoned fiscal responsibility in the mini-Budget.” Jenrick told an audience of journalists and MPs at a [...]