Rolls-Royce SMR signs £3.7m contract with Sheffield Forgemasters

Rolls-Royce SMR has signed a contract with Sheffield Forgemasters to enable the first development forgings to be manufactured to support the deployment of Rolls-Royce SMRs.

The £3.7m contract will be delivered by the UK business, Sheffield Forgemasters, kick-starting the UK nuclear renaissance and the development of commercial Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in the UK.

The forgings form part of Rolls-Royce SMR’s work to achieve regulatory approval and will allow both parties to understand and develop manufacturing procedures and techniques, to de-risk and accelerate the important first production of these vital components.

Sheffield Forgemasters is the only UK company able to produce these significant forgings. As a result, Rolls-Royce SMR will benefit from Sheffield Forgemasters’ decades of experience and delivery abilities. 

This is the first major supply chain material contract enabled by the coming together of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) grant funding, delivered through the Low Cost Nuclear challenge and private capital, to form the Rolls-Royce SMR business. This investment further strengthens the delivery of the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution and will contribute to the ability of the UK to deliver on its decarbonisation objectives and long-term export opportunities through Rolls-Royce SMR.

Matthew Blake, Rolls-Royce SMR’s Chief Engineer commented: “Sheffield Forgemasters are world leaders in forgings and castings, and we are incredibly fortunate to have their experience to support our SMR programme. This contract enables us to work in parallel, testing manufacturing processes and procedures while developing the technology, which will allow us to move at pace when we reach the deployment stage. We are committed to delivering the SMR fleet with a focus on maximising the UK’s supply chain and this significant contract is just the start as we look to re-energise the vital UK nuclear supply chain.”

David Bond, CEO of Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “These forgings will be integral to the overall evaluation of routes to manufacture for the Rolls-Royce SMR programme. The forgings will require highly detailed simulation work and analysis from our RD&T team to deliver components which will meet exacting nuclear-grade standards. We are very excited to be working with Rolls-Royce SMR on the first deliverables for this project.”

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Contacts:

Rolls-Royce SMR

Alastair Evans

Director of Corporate and Government Affairs

0044 (0) 7553 207 591

0044 (0) 7595 003 158

alastair.evans@rolls-royce.com

Sheffield Forgemasters

Billy Greenhalgh

Head of Communications

0044 (0) 7730 527 270

bgreenhalgh@sfel.com

Notes to Editors

Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd

A Rolls-Royce SMR power station will have the capacity to generate 470MW of low carbon energy, equivalent to more than 150 onshore wind turbines. It will provide consistent baseload generation for at least 60 years, helping to support the roll out of renewable generation and overcome intermittency issues. 

Potential global demand for SMRs is valued between £250 and £400 billion. The UK now has the opportunity to become a world-leader in its own SMR reactor and to export its skills and knowledge around the globe.

Sheffield Forgemasters

Casting and Forging solutions for the World’s most complex engineering challenges.

Sheffield Forgemasters specialises in the design and manufacture of high integrity forgings and castings offering end-to-end manufacture for steel production from a single site in the UK.

Global markets served include Defence, Marine, Civil Nuclear, Steel Processing, Offshore, Renewables, Power Generation, Reactors, Steel Plant and Ingot & Bar.

The company also offers design, project management, steel melting, forging, casting, machining, testing and delivery. In addition, a number of specialist services are available onsite and through an extensive supplier network.

Some of the largest bespoke engineered steel products in the world are produced at the Brightside Lane facility with capacity for castings of up to 350 tonnes and forgings of up to 200 tonnes finished weight.