Following Rolls-Royce SMR’s announcement about the new Pioneer Works facility in Derby, Andy Pynn, our strategic lead for nuclear new build, reflects on a visit he made to the company’s EXPERI facility at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre.
Andy joined Environment Agency staff, including Chair Alan Lovell and board member Stewart Davies, to find out about the new approach to building nuclear power stations.
How is the Environment Agency changing how it assesses new nuclear reactors?
As reactor designs, and the way nuclear power stations are constructed, evolve we are also changing how we assess reactor designs. Last month we set out actions we are taking to support two-year reactor design assessments, provide flexible options, and how we’ll use reviews from international regulators to inform our decisions.
What happens at Rolls-Royce SMR’s Module Development Facility?
Manufacturing modules in a factory and assembling at a site isn’t new – we’ve seen it used in other industries such as oil, gas and renewables….so why not nuclear power stations?
Rolls-Royce SMR’s ‘EXPERI’ facility, known as ‘Factory 2050’, was set up to manufacture and test prototype modules for the RR-SMR.
In the future, most of the plant, systems and components will be put together in steel framed modules in factories – before being transported to a site and assembled into a power station. This is often referred to as modularisation.
The facility in Sheffield (and in the future, Derby) enables Rolls Royce SMR engineers to develop and test the approach to manufacturing the modules.
What did the Environment Agency learn on the visit?
Our first stop was the board room where Mark Salisbury, Rolls-Royce SMR’s Head of Regulatory Affairs, and a team of engineers gave us a detailed overview of the design including a virtual reality model tour of the reactor island.
Some takeaways – we were told that:
121 fuel assemblies will provide power for around 1 million people for 18 months; It’s a boron free design and, compared to similar reactors, there will be less tritium produced and less water discharged which will reduce its environmental impact; They are incorporating the option for indirect cooling which, if used, means the reactor would use less water and could potentially be located inland; Innovation in welding - Traditionally done by welders, Rolls Royce SMR wants to do more in the factory using mechanical automated welds. Fewer welds and more pipe bending = reduced hazard and leaks.We saw time lapse videos of Rolls Royce SMR engineers testing how they would assemble components inside the modules. This is how it would be done in a future factory.
Modularisation is not a new concept to the nuclear industry, but this is the first time we will see this level of factory construction for a nuclear power station in the UK.
We were then treated to a virtual reality tour, walking around an SMR site - including looking around the inside of the containment building. Having a fully immersive VR ‘3D map’ of the facility helps engineers to visualise how the components can be installed during construction and how access for maintenance and inspection can be planned. We were told how their approach to modularisation and construction will significantly reduce the time it takes to build a power station, and we saw how the separate module blocks will be fixed together at the site – you can see this in the company's animations.
Next stop was the factory floor where we saw the steel modules. We learned more about how they will be constructed in the factory and transported to sites. You can see the module (blue structure) in the photo.
Community engagement will be important to this project – and all new forms of technology. We’re challenging the company (and GBE-N) to help explain how this design is different to the ‘gigawatt’ power stations, and in turn we’ll need to explain how our regulation at the sites will change.
Our Chair, Alan Lovell said: “We had a most interesting and informative morning learning about how Rolls-Royce SMR will build SMRs efficiently and in particular how they are working on a mock-up of a module so that they can do more in the factory and deliver more cheaply and much quicker than if they were building all on site. It’s a really exciting development; this is as good as anything in the world, and it can be expected to make a significant contribution to our low carbon energy production in due course”.
What stage is the Environment Agency at with the RR-SMR design assessment?
Generic Design Assessment (GDA) enables nuclear scientists and regulators at the Environment Agency and Office for Nuclear Regulation to assess new nuclear power station designs at an early stage of the regulatory process. During our assessment of the RR-SMR, we are scrutinising the company’s designs and identifying potential design or technical issues. During regular meetings we explore issues and ask questions with the Rolls-Royce SMR engineering team and resolve them. Our scrutiny and assessment is helping the company avoid potentially costly and time-consuming changes when the reactors are being built.
Rolls-Royce SMR is in Step 3 of GDA - the detailed assessment stage. The Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales are focussing on the environment case, and this step also includes a public and stakeholder consultation, launching in February 2027.
When will the first RR-SMR be constructed?
In April Rolls-Royce SMR signed a contract with Great British Energy-Nuclear (GBE-N) to deliver the UK’s first SMRs on Anglesey, north Wales as the Gwyndod Power Station.
Rolls-Royce SMR has also signed a contract with Czech to deliver an SMR programme and Videberg Kraft has selected the company as its partner to deliver SMRs in Sweden.
Where can I find more information?
Contact us: nuclear@environment-agency.gov.uk
Read about GDA
Learn about the RR-SMR and comment on the design: Home | Rolls-Royce SMR - Generic Design Assessment
seen at 18:41, 16 July in Environment Agency: For homes and habitats..