MOSCOW: Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc and its partners are asking the UK government for more than 200 million pounds (US$264 million) in funding to develop a business that will build small nuclear reactors, according to a report in the Financial Times.
The company is seeking a sum “in the low hundreds of millions,” the FT said on Sunday, citing a person familiar with the request.
The UK is reconsidering its plans to build new plants after Hitachi Ltd. and Toshiba Corp. withdrew from major projects, scuppering plans for a revival of nuclear power and leaving an energy gap.
Rolls-Royce confirmed to the Financial Times that its consortium was “in discussions with UK government officials that we hope could result in a significant joint investment in our power plant design.” Company representatives didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.