Rolls-Royce SMR is partnering with the University of Sheffield to launch a major new manufacturing and testing facility in South Yorkshire.
The Rolls-Royce SMR Module Development Facility (MDF), which will be housed in the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre’s existing Factory 2050, is set to manufacture and test prototype modules for small modular reactors.
The first phase is worth £2.7m and will be part of a wider £15m package that will further de-risk and underpin the Rolls-Royce programme.
The role of SMRs in the clean energy transition
SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors that are designed to be factory-built and transported to operational sites for installation.
The technology is seen as a clean energy solution that is easier to deliver and scale and is more affordable than building new, larger nuclear power stations.
Each Rolls-Royce SMR could provide enough low-carbon electricity to power a million homes for more than 60 years.
The new facility at the University of Sheffield AMRC will produce working prototypes of individual modules that will be assembled into SMR power plants.
First-of-its-kind homegrown technology
The programme is the UK’s first home-grown nuclear technology for over a generation and is another vital step towards deploying a fleet of factory-built nuclear power plants in the UK and around the globe.
Victoria Scott, Rolls-Royce SMR’s Chief Manufacturing Engineer, said: “Our investment in setting up 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 assembly on site. This facility will allow us to refine our production, testing and digital approach to manufacturing – helping de-risk our programme and ensure we increase our delivery certainty.”
Clean energy research at the University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is one of the UK’s leading universities for clean energy research and innovation.
Its AMRC, on the border of Sheffield and Rotherham, is a world leader in manufacturing R&D and works with companies of all sizes – including SMEs, start-ups and large-scale manufacturers – to help them improve their productivity.
The AMRC’s Factory 2050 is the UK’s first state-of-the-art factory with reconfigurable spaces to enable collaborative research into digital manufacturing, machining technologies, and component manufacturing.
