Rolls-Royce and Sheffield University to test mini nuclear reactors in UK

Rolls-Royce has selected the University of Sheffield as its partner to establish a new manufacturing and testing facility in South Yorkshire, UK.

The Rolls-Royce SMR (small nuclear reactor) module development facility will be located within the university’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Center (AMRC) Factory 2050.

The £2.7m initiative is the first phase of a wider £15m program to promote Rolls-Royce’s SMR technology.

The facility will focus on producing functional prototype modules for assembly into Rolls-Royce SMR power plants.

The program aims to provide a clean energy solution through advanced nuclear reactors.

SMRs are intended to be factory-built and transported to sites for installation, providing a more scalable and cost-effective alternative to larger nuclear power plants.

Rolls-Royce’s SMR program will be the UK’s inaugural domestic nuclear technology for more than a generation.

The collaboration with AMRC at the University of Sheffield marks a significant step towards the deployment of a fleet of factory-built nuclear power stations both in the UK and internationally.

Victoria Scott, Chief Manufacturing Engineer Rolls-Royce SMR, said: “Our investment in establishing this facility and building prototype modules is another significant milestone for our business.

“Our factories will produce hundreds of prefabricated and pre-tested modules ready for on-site assembly. This facility will allow us to refine our production, testing and digital approach to manufacturing – helping to de-risk our program and ensuring we increase our delivery certainty.”

AMRC’s Factory 2050 is a pioneering facility dedicated to research in digital manufacturing and component manufacturing.

University of Sheffield President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Koen Lamberts said: “We are very proud that Rolls-Royce SMR has chosen to base its module development facility at our Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre’s Factory 2050.

“Today’s announcement is a testament to the university’s strengths in clean energy research and innovation and our unmatched expertise in developing leading-edge manufacturing techniques. We welcome this significant commitment from Rolls-Royce SMR to our ongoing partnership with the South Yorkshire region.”

telegraph quoted UK Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho as saying: “Small modular reactors are the future of nuclear technology and key to quadrupling the UK’s nuclear capacity by 2050 as part of the biggest expansion in 70 years .

Rolls-Royce has estimated the cost of each SMR at £2bn, with a power generation capacity of around 470MW.

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In comparison, the Hinkley Point C nuclear project will cost up to £35bn and provide 3.3GW of power.

Budget and forecast comparisons suggest that SMRs could deliver power at less than half the cost per 100 MW than Hinkley Point C. Despite these predictions, SMR technology has yet to be proven as there are currently no SMRs operational globally.

“Rolls-Royce and Sheffield University to test mini nuclear reactors in UK” was created and originally published by Power Technology, a brand owned by GlobalData.

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