UK's mini nuclear power plant competition on track to end in spring

LONDON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - The British government's competition to select companies to develop small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) is on track to reach a decision in the spring, the country's nuclear body said on Friday, launching the final invitation to tender.

Four vendors remain in the competition for what could be government contracts worth billions of pounds: Rolls Royce RR.L, Westinghouse, Holtec Britain and GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy - an alliance between General Electric Co GE.N and Japan's Hitachi Ltd 6501.T.

Successive British governments have championed the benefits of SMRs - effectively small-scale nuclear plants - in search of a way to avoid the high upfront costs, planning delays and difficulty of securing investors associated with larger plants.

Earlier in February, Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to free up more sites for nuclear energy developments across England and Wales, hoping to attract private investment to help power energy-hungry development such as artificial intelligence data centres.