Bill Gates powers up bid to build new nuclear reactors in Britain

TerraPower is set to enter government competition to develop designs for a new fleet of low-cost, zero-emission small modular reactors

Bill Gates is poised to enter the multibillion-pound race to build nuclear power plants in the UK, challenging the likes of Rolls-Royce in the scramble to shore up Britain’s energy security.

The Microsoft billionaire and environmentalist chairs a US nuclear developer, called TerraPower, which is preparing to throw its hat in the ring for a new government-backed competition to develop small modular reactors (SMRs) in the UK.

SMRs offer the promise of zero-emission nuclear energy at a lower cost than traditional, large-scale power plants, as the reactors can be made in a factory and then assembled onsite without the need for huge infrastructure. The government is keen to include them as it scales up the country’s nuclear power output.

Gates’s TerraPower is likely to line