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The energy secretary has announced the six winners of the government鈥檚 small modular reactor (SMR) competition.

Firms on the list will be invited to bid for government contracts later this year, with the ultimate winners set to be announced next spring.

EDF, GE-Hitachi, Holtec, NuScale, Rolls Royce and Westinghouse Electric have all been chosen for the next stage of the process.

Unlike conventional reactors, SMRs are smaller and made in factories, which the government hopes could enable quicker and cheaper delivery.

Developing the technology forms a major element of the government鈥檚 ambition for a quarter of all UK electricity to come from nuclear power by 2050.

In a speech this morning at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, energy secretary Claire Coutinho emphasised her party鈥檚 nuclear history, claiming all the UK鈥檚 currently operational facilities began their life under Conservative governments.

鈥淲e are boosting our long term resilience and we鈥檒l set out our nuclear roadmap this autumn,鈥� she said.

鈥淎 crucial element of this will be how we deploy the exciting new technology of small modular nuclear reactors.

鈥淚鈥檓 therefore pleased to announce today the six companies we have shortlisted to build these reactors.鈥�

The chosen designs are those considered by Great British Nuclear 鈥� the government-backed body driving nuclear projects forward 鈥� the most able deliver operational SMRs by the mid-2030s.

For unsuccessful companies, the next opportunity could be the government鈥檚 consultation on alternative routes to market for nuclear technologies which is due to be launched soon.

>> Read more: Rolls Royce鈥檚 frustration as government holds back on orders for mini nuclear reactors

>> Read more: Industry dismay over Sunak鈥檚 expected net zero U-turn

Coutinho used the rest of her conference speech to draw a hard line between her party鈥檚 approach to net zero and the Labour Party鈥檚, for whom she said net zero had 鈥渂ecome a religion鈥�.

鈥淚ts immoral to put forward policies that will impoverish people here when emissions are rising abroad,鈥� she said, pointing to developing countries like China.

鈥淯xbridge showed us what happens when you tax people for using their cars without thinking about how they would be able to get around, otherwise鈥�.

She said the party would change planning rules to make it easier to install solar panels on industrial rooftops, warehouses and car parks, in order to protect the countryside, and that they would make it 鈥渇inancially easier鈥� for people to change their boilers鈥� through 鈥渃hoice not coercion鈥�.