NRL Group lends support to SMR low carbon plans
The NRL Group has signed up as a joint sponsor of NOF’s UK Nuclear SMR Consortium webinar, designed to educate and inform attendees of the low carbon opportunities Small Modular Reactors (SMR) can provide the UK’s power industry.
NOF, the business development experts for the energy sector is organising the event. NOF work on behalf of their UK members and network of partners to put companies of all sizes in touch with the best and most innovative supply chain businesses in the UK.
The webinar, held on Thursday 6th May, will bring together members of the UK SMR consortium including founding member Rolls-Royce. Attendees will also hear from the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC) as they discuss how SMR advancement will help to achieve net zero by 2050, as well as the potential supply chain opportunities SMR projects will provide.
Sponsorship of the event aligns with the NRL Group’s own strategy which includes a focus on supporting their global engineering clients to ensure they have the skills required to maximise the benefit of future energy projects such as emerging net zero opportunities. NRL’s Non-Destructive Testing business has provided safety-critical qualification and inspection services to the UK civil nuclear market since first establishing operations on Sellafield in 1983. In recent years, the business has extended its expertise to include ultrasonic services as well as radiography, to support nuclear new build projects with the latest technological advances. Similarly, NRL’s Recruitment business also plays a major role across the nuclear supply chain and other key energy sectors – supporting thousands of candidates each year to find career opportunities whilst identifying solutions to address skills shortages and workforce planning demands.
The small but mighty capability of SMR technology
Small Modular Reactors provide a more scalable alternative to large nuclear power stations. The UK SMR uses existing nuclear energy technology, but manufactures the entire power station in a factory. This cuts costs and times for delivery meaning low carbon power for the grid, or for industrial use, or manufacturing net zero carbon synthetic fuels is more affordable – helping decarbonise a whole energy system.
The UK SMR consortium will develop a programme to allow off-site modular construction using standard components, through advanced manufacturing techniques – constructing safety-led SMR projects that can be operational in just 5 years from construction to first energy output. The SMR design will provide 470MW of power, the equivalent of 150 onshore wind turbines – and are designed to run for 60 years.
Unlocking opportunities across the supply chain
The Rolls-Royce led consortium will be the largest national engineering collaboration the UK has ever seen, providing a wealth of opportunities for supply chain partners, with estimations projecting a £52bn indirect contribution to Gross Value Added (GVA). Once delivered, additional financial opportunities are expected to provide global exports of the SMR technology.
Furthermore, a UK SMR programme could deliver 40,000 skilled jobs with 60% of roles expected as a direct result of employment within the SMR supply chain, and the other 16,000 from supporting areas.
(Source: Rolls-Royce)
Find out more about the UK SMR Consortium’s progress:
