Global energy company chooses Yorkshire for nuclear reactor factory
South Yorkshire is to become the new home of US nuclear energy company Holtec’s planned new Small Modular Reactor (SMR) factory.
After a process involving 13 locations which were shortlisted down to four around the UK, Holtec Britain – which has been working at Sizewell B for over 15 years and in the UK for nearly 30 years – picked South Yorkshire as the location for its new SMR factory to serve the UK, Europe and the Middle East.
The factory should represent a £1.5bn investment and is set to create hundreds of skilled jobs.
Holtec’s decision comes after Rolls-Royce SMR also chose South Yorkshire to become the home of its new multi-million pound facility earlier this year.
Rolls-Royce SMR will make and test prototype modules for SMRs in South Yorkshire further strengthening the region’s clean tech cluster.
Oliver Coppard, South Yorkshire’s Mayor, said: “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.
“We are right at the cutting edge of the new nuclear, hydrogen and sustainable aviation sectors, and proud to be home to the largest clean tech sector in the UK.
“That’s why Holtec has chosen South Yorkshire as the home of its £1.5bn manufacturing facility, because it recognises we are the new home of the emerging clean energy sector in this country.
“Its decision to invest in South Yorkshire has the potential to support hundreds of high-paying jobs, while its SMR Learning Academy will help train the next generation of nuclear engineers and experts.”
Gareth Thomas, director at Holtec Britain, added: “South Yorkshire overcame stiff competition from other areas of the UK to be our preferred location for our advanced SMR factory.
“In addition to the technical, supply chain, training, and logistics criteria for the formal evaluation, we were impressed by the history and pride of the people we met during our visit to South Yorkshire, which demonstrated the workforce really cares about the quality and reputation of their work.
“For us, that translates to a workforce that can be trained and will remain committed to delivering the high-quality nuclear products that we and our customers demand.
“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.
“Holtec is working to finalise its factory business plan to support its Final Investment Decision, based on its UK and international order book.
“Our SMR-300 is a PWR (pressurised water reactor) enabling the factory to also produce large naval reactor components to not only support the country’s energy security, but also its national security.”
