NuScale Power, the first company with US approval for a small modular reactor (SMR) design, has cancelled a project to build a power plant for a Utah power provider as costs increase.

Portland, Oregon-based NuScale and Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (Uamps) agreed to terminate the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP), according to a statement on Wednesday (8 November).

The statement said that despite significant efforts by both parties to advance the CFPP, it appears unlikely that the project will have enough subscription to continue toward deployment.

The move could be seen as a setback for SMR technology as efforts gather pace in the US and beyond to develop and deploy a new generation of reactors in a bid to reduce emissions and increase energy security.