Two sites shortlisted for a £200 million nuclear reactor factory in the Grimsby-area have missed out on selection of the final three.
Rolls-Royce had listed the former Tioxide plant on the South Humber Bank and nearby Stallingborough as potential locations when the competitive process was unveiled in July. However, IAMP at Sunderland, Teesworks in Redcar and Shotton on Deeside, North Wales, have progressed in the round that saw eight become three.
A total of 200 jobs are pledged for the successful site, with a proposed 23,000 sq m build to produce components for the emerging fleet of small modular reactors, part of the energy sector’s journey to Net Zero. It will make some of the largest and most complex parts for the power stations that will be capable of generating 470MW of clean electricity - enough to power a million homes.
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Officials visited all sites, with a final decision anticipated early next year after final evaluations and detailed assessments.
There remains hope for two smaller facilities, set to be selected from the remainder, with the initial focus on the 'heavy pressure vessels factory'.
Rolls-Royce SMR chief executive, Tom Samson, said: "I want to thank everyone involved in the selection process and offer my congratulations to the three that have made the final shortlist. This is part of the process to build the first of at least three factories that will manufacture components for a fleet of small modular reactors and will present an incredible opportunity for a region of the UK. Our power stations will be built in British factories situated in the north of England or Wales and will generate tens of thousands of long-term highly skilled jobs - accelerating regional economic growth."
Rolls-Royce SMR's plan is seen as a radically different way of setting up nuclear power stations with around 90 per cent of the components being made in a factory. As the only SMR in Europe currently in the regulatory process, there is also an opportunity to export the technology.
The FTSE 100 firm had launched a competition at the start of the year asking for development bodies to bring forward locations.
Pioneer Business Park at Stallingborough - home to Myenergi and the emerging HETA training facility - was put forward, so too the ABP development, actually launched to market on the day the shortlist emerged. It spans 89 acres, with more than one million sq ft of development space. Initial phases had been used for car storage through the Brexit transition period.
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