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British taxpayers face a £22million bill from a competition launched to pick the developer of nuclear reactors. A two-year-long process saw companies bid to create small modular reactors (SMRs) - a fraction of the size of traditional nuclear power stations and much more affordable. The competition cost £22million just to oversee the process of choosing a provider for the SMR technology, according to documents seen by The Times.

Great British Nuclear ran the competition and racked up costs of £2.5million, while the rest was reportedly spent on private companies. It has been reported that accounting firm Deloitte was paid £9.3million, law firm Ashurst received £6.4million, and construction engineering company Arup got £3.8million. Software cost £92,000 and a further £6,000 was spent on IT costs.

Firms were required to show commitment to "social value" by explaining how they would create jobs for people "who face barriers to employment", including "refugees, people who have recently immigrated or are seeking asylum".

They were also reportedly told to ensure that half of those working on the contract were women at every stage in the supply chain.

Under current legislation, social value must be given a weighting of 10% when considering bids for a contract, as stipulated by legislation, but Great British Nuclear's competition weighted it at 12%.

Sam Richards, CEO of the Britain Remade think tank, said it showed "exactly why it is so hard and so expensive to build new nuclear in Britain".

He told the news outlet: "Spending £22 million just to choose a preferred bidder is absurd, and that's before you even count the huge sums companies themselves have had to spend just to take part.

"There is no excuse for the process dragging on for two years. While Britain drowns in bureaucracy, other countries are racing ahead and building."

Former Tory energy secretary Grant Shapps launched the contract in 2023, as he wanted to "deliver the fastest competition of its kind". Nearly two years later, Rolls Royce SMR was selected as the winner.

Despite Sir Keir Starmer hailing them as a way to bring energy bills down, no SMRs have been built yet. In February, the Prime Minister said the technology faced delays due to planning regulations.

A spokesperson for the Department of Energy and Net Zero said the competition was "rigorous" and would bolster Britain's energy security.