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US energy company prepares to build mini-nukes in the North
Holtec’s chosen region for the factory will benefit from an estimated 3,600 jobs
Teesside’s freeport and a business park on the outskirts of Birmingham have been listed as possible locations for a factory that will build a new generation of mini-nuclear power plants.
Holtec, an American developer, said on Tuesday that it had narrowed its search down to 13 potential sites after inviting bids earlier this year.
It has been searching for a location in the North of England where it can manufacture the constituent pieces of a nuclear small modular reactors (SMRs), which will then be transported and put together at their final destination.
Holtec is now in talks with four local authorities about the shortlisted options. South Yorkshire combined authority put forward three, the West Midlands another three, Tees Valley six and the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership one.
Among the sites being considered are the Teesworks industrial park in Teesside, the Gateway East site next to Doncaster-Sheffield Airport, the Peddimore development on the edge of Birmingham and the Kingmoor Park business park in Carlisle.
Baroness Brown of Cambridge, a leading UK engineer who is an adviser to Holtec, said the company would now begin visiting the locations to prepare for final selection, adding: “The impact on the local economy for the successful bidder will be game changing.”
Holtec estimates that construction of its SMR factory will create some 3,600 jobs, as well as 400 permanent manufacturing roles.
The company, which leads a consortium of investors that includes South Korea’s Hyundai, is planning to build two SMRs a year from the early 2030s.
Up to 16 SMRs would be installed around the UK itself with others exported to the UK’s European neighbours.
Ben Houchen, the Tees Valley Mayor, said: “I am delighted that our area has been named in the shortlist for Holtec’s ground-breaking project, which will deliver significant jobs and investment.
“Our region is at the forefront of the clean energy revolution in which nuclear will play a vital role, so we are dedicated to developing our area as a location for such major developments.”
Oliver Coppard, South Yorkshire’s Mayor, added: “South Yorkshire is cementing our place at the forefront of manufacturing the UK’s small modular reactor capability, in partnership with world leading companies like Holtec.”
SMRs are designed to be built in factories using production line techniques, and then assembled on site, reducing costs and construction times.
None is yet in service so they are yet to be tested.
But they have won strong backing from the Government as a potential means of avoiding the cost overruns and delays associated with larger projects, such as Hinkley Point C in Somerset.
Holtec is developing an SMR that can be cooled in an emergency without external power.
A single 160 megawatt Holtec reactor will occupy six hectares of space, the equivalent of 10 football pitches, making it suitable for industrial sites.
Last year, Claire Coutinho, the Energy Secretary, awarded £30m in government funding to the Florida-based company to continue exploring the technology.
It is competing with rivals including UK champion Rolls-Royce and American competitors General Electric and Westinghouse to develop a working demonstrator.