The government must then agree on a location for the first power station and begin negotiations on the price that will be paid for the electricity it generates.
Mr Samson said: “Getting the first SMR online by 2029 involves the Government committing to deploying our technology in the UK now.
“We are ready to sign a contract for the supply of our first unit and, with an order or instruction from the government, we can immediately start building factories to manufacture our modules and work with the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency or others to to host our technology within the UK’s existing nuclear base.”
People close to Rolls say the support of the UK as the first customer is crucial to making the technology a successful export for the UK, as foreign governments question how far Britain has come in approving the first deal.
Rolls will now choose between manufacturing sites in Richmond, Sunderland, Deeside in Wales, Ferrybridge in West Yorkshire, Stallingborough, Lincolnshire and Carlisle.
The government is supposed to support the movement at pace, but with attention to safety.
Kwasi Kwarteng, business secretary, asked the nuclear regulator to start the approval process for the project in March.
Russia’s attack on Ukraine has highlighted the dependence of the UK and other nations on energy imports.
Oil and gas prices have risen as countries try to stop buying oil and gas from Russia, one of the world’s biggest producers of fossil fuels.
Speaking in parliament on Monday, Mr Johnson called on the OPEC+ alliance of oil-rich countries – which includes the likes of Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq – to increase production and lower prices.
He said: “There is no doubt that we will need a lot more oil from OPEC+.”
Rolls-Royce is up against other mini-reactor developers who are also racing to get designs approved.
While Rawls has chosen an established technology – a pressurized water reactor – a London-based rival, created by a nuclear physicist turned medical entrepreneur, wants to use a newer process to convert the UK’s 140-tonne plutonium waste dump into energy, creating even smaller reactors that can power ships.
Newcleo is likely to put its first reactor on British soil because of precedent for private operators of nuclear plants in the UK, Italian physicist Stefano Buono, chief executive, told The Telegraph last month.
The company raised €300m (£257m) last month to help fund its first reactors, after raising €100m last year from investors including former Goldman Sachs banker Claudio Costamagna and asset manager Azimut last year .
A government spokesman said: “Although small modular reactors do not yet exist, ministers are determined to speed up progress where possible.
“The technology offers exciting opportunities to reduce costs and build faster and we have already committed £210m to the project.
“Rolls-Royce’s reactor design is currently being assessed by safety regulators – an extremely important process that must be allowed to take its course.”
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