Michał Sołowow's UK SMR Project Targets First Power by 2034

Polish billionaire industrialist Michał Sołowow, through his consortium Synthos Green Energy (SGE SMR), has announced plans to build 14 small modular reactors (SMRs) at three sites in the United Kingdom, including the former Magnox location at Oldbury in Gloucestershire. The reactors will use the BWRX‑300 design from the GE Vernova‑Hitachi joint venture. SGE aims to secure a government contracts‑for‑difference support scheme that would guarantee a competitive price for the electricity generated, with the first unit expected to begin producing power by 2034.

The consortium is seeking approval from the taxpayer‑backed National Wealth Fund and expects to complete site selection and negotiations on the support contract in the first half of 2027. Following that, major investment, site preparation and licensing work would commence within roughly a year, leading to commercial operation of the first unit in 2034. The plan is part of the UK’s broader £35 billion mini‑nuclear programme and coincides with a forthcoming Nuclear Regulation Bill aimed at streamlining nuclear project approvals.