UK-Canada-Poland Tripartite Plan to Deploy 14 Small Reactors in the UK

Recently, SGE SMR UK, the UK subsidiary of SGE, a nuclear developer under Polish industrial giant MS Galleon Group, and Origin Nuclear, a subsidiary of Canada's Ontario Power Generation (OPG), formally signed a letter of intent announcing the establishment of a joint venture to jointly build and operate a nuclear fleet of 14 small modular reactors (SMRs) in the UK, with a total installed capacity of 4.2 gigawatts (GW).

It is reported that the project will fully adopt GE Vernova Hitachi (GVH)'s BWRX-300 reactor technology. SGE's UK deployment plan covers three multi-unit sites, with the first selected site planned to host 6 300-megawatt reactors, and the remaining 8 to be distributed across two subsequent supporting sites. The project aims to achieve commercial operation of the first unit by 2034 to accelerate the advancement of the UK's clean energy infrastructure construction.

Under the cooperation agreement, Origin Nuclear will leverage its parent company OPG's extensive experience in building the first commercial BWRX-300 at the Darlington project in Canada to fully undertake the licensing, commissioning, and operational preparation work for the UK project. After the joint venture is established, Origin Nuclear will also serve as the plant operator, providing centralized operational and technical support services for the entire reactor fleet.

This cross-national cooperation marks a substantive step forward in the large-scale deployment of BWRX-300 technology in the European market. By integrating Polish capital, Canadian nuclear operational experience, and GE Vernova Hitachi's advanced technology, the project will further safeguard the UK's future power supply security and provide a new cross-national commercialization paradigm for Europe's low-carbon nuclear energy transition.