A West Cumbrian site is among four earmarked for a new power station.
Rolls-Royce SMR has identified land next to the Sellafield nuclear complex for a small modular reactor after undertaking a review into options of land owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority across the country.
It said it was an important step to deploy a fleet of small reactors that could help ensure the UK can reach net zero and bolster the country’s energy security.
It is one of four NDA-owned sites identified by Rolls-Royce. The others are Trawsfynydd and Wylfa in Wales and Oldbury in the West Midlands.
Rolls-Royce said it was the first phase in a programme of work which is considering siting, collaboration opportunities and the socio-economic benefits of deploying reactors on land within the NDA estate – with other locations across the UK also being evaluated.
It follows the announcement earlier this year from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy that the NDA would work alongside interested parties, including Rolls-Royce SMR, to enable engagement on potential future nuclear developments on its sites.
Within the NDA estate, there is land with the potential to host the UK’s next generation of nuclear power stations. The study has identified a range of sites that could host several new, low carbon power from Rolls-Royce SMRs with four NDA sites prioritised.
Any formal commitment of NDA land, or other support, would require government approval via NDA’s sponsoring department, BEIS.
Rolls-Royce SMR matched the sites against a set of assessment criteria that will enable stations to be operational by the early 2030s, including existing geotechnical data, adequate grid connection and a site large enough to deploy multiple SMRs.
Each Rolls-Royce SMR would create enough clean energy to power a million homes for 60 years, it said and deploying a fleet of SMRs in the UK would create 40,000 jobs across England and Wales.
Tom Samson, chief executive officer of Rolls-Royce SMR, said: “I am tremendously grateful to David Peattie and the NDA team for their work in helping inform our understanding of the significant opportunity to bring new nuclear power back to nuclear communities across England and Wales.
“Identifying the sites that can host our SMRs is a key step to our efficient deployment – the sooner that work can begin at site, the sooner we can deliver stable, secure supplies of low-carbon nuclear power from SMRs designed and built in the UK.”
“We must maintain this positive momentum and work with the NDA and Government departments, to ensure we capitalise on the range of siting options, focusing on those that maximise benefit to the taxpayer while enabling power to come online as close to 2030 as possible” added Tom.
David Peattie, chief executive officer of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, said: “This study is a tangible step forward in our mission to safely decommission our sites and free up land for future use, delivering benefit to local communities and so to the wider economy.
“We’re engaging with several potential partners to explore the use of land in our estate whilst utilising the NDA’s nuclear sector expertise to support the delivery of the UK Government’s energy security strategy.”
Trudy Harrison, Copeland MP, added: “Ever since I was elected I have worked tirelessly to have SMRs located in Copeland, and this announcement is a further step towards that goal.
“Nowhere else in the UK is there the concentration of nuclear skills and expertise that we have in Copeland, and there is no more appropriate place to site this technology than right here.”
A new company has been launched to help West Cumbria host a new power station – read more here.
