UKAEA will be able to call on the expertise of world-leading
engineering firms after signing a four-year-long Engineering Design
Services Framework with nine companies.
The framework will allow companies to work closely with the UK
Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), which researches the development
of nuclear fusion energy and its related technologies.
Further, it will enable UKAEA to call upon a broad range of
engineering and technical skills as UKAEA’s range of activities
(in fusion research, powerplant design, robotics, materials and
other technology areas) continues to flourish.
It will be vital in the mission to develop commercial fusion
power, while also helping to grow the UK economy by ensuring
industry are fully involved.
The arrangement means UKAEA can call upon experts as and when
needed to undertake a range of projects. There is also the
opportunity for providers to work together on initiatives costing
more than £100,000.
Paula Barham, UKAEA Head of Procurement, said: “This framework
brings exciting opportunities for UKAEA; to work collaboratively
with the Supply Chain and maximise the potential value within
those relationships. This is vital to UKAEA succeeding and
positioning the UK as a leader in sustainable nuclear energy.”
The collaboration features companies with a background in some,
or all of, the following: mechanical engineering, process
engineering, computer-based modelling and simulations, minor
structural engineering for design, specialist nuclear services,
and electrical, control and instrumentation (EC&I).
One example of how the arrangement could work is the delivery of
a feasibility study – or concept design – for STEP.
STEP is the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production, a UKAEA
programme to design and build the world’s first compact fusion
reactor by 2040.
Gary Stables, Engineering Design Office Group Leader at UKAEA,
said: “I look forward to working closely with our industrial
partners, and working together to solve some of the challenges we
will encounter on the road to a commercially viable fusion
powerplant.”
The companies which are part of the framework are: Assystem, DBD,
Rolls-Royce, Jacobs, Frazer Nash, Atkins, IDOM, Mott MacDonald,
and M5tec.
