Holtec International facility in Camden, New Jersey, USA | Credit: Holtec International
New facility is set to serve emerging SMR market in the UK, Europe, and Middle East in addition to producing naval reactor components
US energy technology giant Holtec has today confirmed plans to site a new £1.5bn mini nuclear reactor factory in South Yorkshire, in a move expected to create hundreds of new jobs at the facility and thousands more across the wider nuclear sector.
After whittling down its initial shortlist of 13 potential locations across the UK, Holtec Britain this morning announced it has opted for a site in South Yorkshire as the location for its planned small modular reactor (SMR) factory that is designed to serve the UK, Europe, and the Middle East.
It marks yet another major win for the region, after Rolls-Royce SMR selected a site in South Yorkshire earlier this year to house its new multi-million pound facility, where it plans to manufacturer and test SMR prototypes.
The announcement is also a major vote of confidence in the UK from the emerging SMR industry, which the government expects to play a key part in its ambition to have 24GW nuclear capacity up and running by 2050, having last year pledged £215m in funding for the nascent technology.
Gareth Thomas, director at Holtec Britain - the British arm of the US firm which has been working alongside EDF Energy at the Sizewell B nuclear facility in Suffolk for the past 15 years - said South Yorkshire beat "stiff competition" from other UK areas to become its preferred site.
"Holtec has been part of the nuclear ecosystem in this country for many years and is absolutely committed to creating high-quality local jobs, supply chain opportunities and partnerships that will help South Yorkshire and the UK grow and prosper," he said.
"Our new UK factory is central to that commitment. Holtec is working to finalise its factory business plan to support its Final Investment Decision, based on its UK and international order book."
Holtec said the factory would produce its SMR-300 / PWR reactor technology, adding that it would aim to ensure 70 per cent of materials, components, and services used at the site could be procured within the UK "and particularly South Yorkshire".
Thomas said that in addition to supporting emerging SMR markets in the UK, Europe and Middle East, the South Yorkshire factory is set to produce "large naval reactor components to not only support the country's energy security, but also its national security".
It comes just days after Holtec signed two separate agreements with the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre as well as the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry to collaborate on SMRs, large nuclear and fusion energy components, as well as for the nuclear civil defence sector.
South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said Holtec's new facility would help further cement the region's position "right at the cutting edge of the new nuclear, hydrogen and sustainable aviation sectors".
"In South Yorkshire, we're building on hundreds of years of innovation and engineering heritage to create world leading facilities, skills and expertise today; assets that will power the clean energy transition in the UK and beyond," he said.
"That's why Holtec have chosen South Yorkshire as the home of their £1.5bn manufacturing facility, because they recognise we are the new home of the emerging clean energy sector in this country. Their decision to invest in South Yorkshire has the potential to support hundreds of high-paying jobs, while their SMR Learning Academy will help train the next generation of nuclear engineers and experts."
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