Small Nuclear Power Plants Draw Support in U.K.’s Green Program

The U.K. government is championing small nuclear reactors as a key part of its decarbonization strategy in a move that left developers of traditional large-scale plants in limbo.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government’s 12 billion-pound ($15.9 billion) strategy to green the economy included 500 million pounds for reactors that are a fraction of the size and cost of traditional nuclear plants. The aim is to encourage private investors to bring more capital into developing the technology.

Small modular reactors and advanced modular reactors are cheaper and quicker to build than big conventional stations like the Hinkley Point project Electricite de ...