Engineering news
The first of three factories for Rolls-Royce SMR’s small modular reactors will be in either Sunderland, Newton Aycliffe in County Durham, Richmond in North Yorkshire, Deeside in Wales, Ferrybridge in Yorkshire, Stallingborough in Lincolnshire or Carlisle in Cumbria, the consortium announced today (4 July).
Described as the project’s ‘largest and most complex facility’, construction on the heavy vessel manufacturing facility will begin once Rolls-Royce SMR receives the go-ahead to build a fleet of SMRs in the UK.
SMRs could be less expensive to build than traditional nuclear power plants because of their smaller size. The modular nature of components means large parts can be produced in dedicated factories and shipped by road to site, reducing construction time and cost. 90% of the SMRs will be built in factory conditions, the consortium said.
Each 470MW plant – occupying the footprint of two football pitches – could be capable of powering 1m homes, equivalent to a city the size of Leeds. The project previously said they could be available to the UK grid ‘in the early 2030s’.
Rolls-Royce SMR chief executive Tom Samson said: “I would like to thank everyone who sent in a submission suggesting locations in their region for the first Rolls-Royce SMR factory. The response was fantastic and shows the ambition and appetite of the UK to build and operate a fleet of SMRs, which will provide affordable, low-carbon electricity for generations to come.
“The final location will come from the shortlist and will result in significant investment, long-term high-skilled jobs and will support the UK government’s aspirations for levelling-up.”
Two further factories will manufacture civil modules and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) modules, which will be transported to sites and assembled into a nuclear power station.
Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “This is fantastic news for Sunderland, North Yorkshire, Deeside, Lincolnshire and Carlisle which, if these SMRs go ahead, could be at the forefront of manufacturing components for this British-made tech.
“Backed by £210m, SMRs have the potential to provide quicker and cheaper low-carbon nuclear power, and today’s announcement underlines the potential for new jobs around the country created by embracing this new technology.”
The factory will create 200-plus permanent roles, Rolls-Royce SMR said.
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