London, June 18, 2026, 09:34 BST
- Rolls-Royce traded up 1.4% at 1,409.4 pence in late numbers. The FTSE 100 slipped 0.6%.
- Stock is up about 7.7% from Friday’s close as the Swedish nuclear project draws interest from investors.
- Qantas says it wants to begin direct Sydney-London service in October 2027, flying jets powered by Rolls-Royce engines.
Rolls-Royce Holdings shares traded up early Thursday in London, moving close to their 52-week high and outpacing the FTSE 100. The stock approached 1,409 pence, just under its session high at 1,413.5 pence.
Rolls-Royce Holdings rose 3.9% Monday and gained another 2.6% Tuesday, driving most of its gains for the week. Investors are watching to see if nuclear projects can emerge as a second long-term growth line for the group. Civil aerospace servicing is still the main contributor.
Videberg Kraft has chosen Rolls-Royce to provide three small modular reactors for its Värö Peninsula project near Ringhals, according to the company. Videberg Kraft is owned by Vattenfall and Industrikraft. Each SMR will have 470 megawatts of capacity, and the three together are set to generate about 12 terawatt-hours of power annually. The reactors use standard parts built offsite before assembly on location. “A major step forward,” Vattenfall CEO Anna Borg said in a statement. Vattenfall
Rolls-Royce won the contract following a four-year selection process, edging out US-based GE Vernova. CEO Tufan Erginbilgic said Rolls-Royce SMR is now “the only company with multiple contractual commitments to deliver SMR units in Europe,” citing deals in Britain and the Czech Republic. Reuters
Qantas picked London as its first destination for Project Sunrise flights from Sydney, the airline said Wednesday. The carrier will use 12 Airbus A350-1000ULR jets with Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines. Ticket sales open in February. Qantas locked in the route and schedule and did not announce any new engine purchase. CEO Vanessa Hudson said the country’s remoteness “should never stand in the way.” “What they are selling is time,” aviation analyst John Strickland told Reuters. Reuters
Rolls-Royce reported an 8% climb in large-engine flying hours for 2025, which pushed up demand for maintenance and lifted Civil Aerospace’s underlying operating margin to 20.5%. Most of this growth came from aftermarket services like maintenance and parts, boosting the division’s results. Group underlying operating profit, before certain accounting effects and one-offs, came in at £3.5 billion.
Rolls-Royce is maintaining its 2026 targets and said it will proceed with a £2.5 billion share buyback. The company had already bought back more than £750 million worth of shares as of April 30. Its half-year results are due July 30.
The Swedish project is a long shot for now. It still needs to lock in commercial terms, secure financing, and get the green light from regulators. The first reactor probably won’t show up until the mid-2030s. Qantas has to wait for aircraft to be certified and delivered, with earlier pandemic and supply problems still fresh. If new parts run short, engine overhauls cost more, or demand for long-haul travel dips, Rolls-Royce could miss out on the cash flow improvement it’s targeting.
