Four companies signed a memorandum of understanding on September 22, 2026 to push GE Vernova Hitachi's BWRX-300 small modular reactor into Central and Eastern Europe and the UK. SGE, a Warsaw-based developer, already has Decisions in Principle for 26 units in Poland and has proposed 14 units across three UK sites, a fleet that would total about 4.2 GW and cover roughly 11% of UK electricity demand. The deal lands as the EU pushes for its first SMRs in the early 2030s, with the European Commission estimating SMR capacity could reach 17 to 53 GW by 2050. Existing EU nuclear capacity stands at 96 GWe, while renewables supplied 47.2% of EU electricity in 2025. The BWRX-300 is designed for repeat builds, with a Canadian reference project at Darlington already moving through licensing. An MoU does not guarantee construction. Each project still needs regulatory approval, financing, and site development, and EDF is also promoting its NUWARD design in several EU countries. The partnership brings together reactor technology, EPC experience, and European development capability, but execution will decide whether this fleet actually gets built.
