Cutting-edge nuclear technology projects across the UK have today
(Friday 2 September) received government backing to help develop
the next generation of nuclear reactors. The funding will support
the early-stage innovation for 6 winning projects, helping
attract private investment and supporting the creation of new,
highly-skilled green jobs.
This £3.3 million funding through the Advanced Modular Reactor
Research, Development and Demonstration (AMR RD&D)
programme, will support the development of cutting-edge
nuclear technology in the UK such as high temperature gas
reactors (HTGRs), helping
revolutionise the way the UK gets its energy.
The innovative projects being backed by the government include
National Nuclear Laboratory Ltd in Cheshire, who are coordinating
a UK-Japan team to design an innovative HTGR, and U-Battery
Developments Ltd in Slough, for a study to determine the optimum
size, type, cost, and delivery method for a
U-Battery AMR suitable for
demonstration in the UK.
The AMR funding represents
another key step in the government’s plans to accelerate
homegrown nuclear power to strengthen the UK’s energy security.
Energy Minister said:
This investment will help unlock the potential for new nuclear
reactors in the UK, as we drive forward plans to boost clean,
cutting-edge, homegrown technologies for our energy security,
while driving down bills in the long term.
£2.5 million in funding is
going to 6 projects seeking to develop Advanced Modular
Reactors (AMRs) in
the UK. These reactors use novel and innovative fuels, coolants,
and technologies to generate high-temperature heat for industrial
use, as well as electricity.
The AMR RD&D programme,
part of the £385 million Advanced Nuclear Fund, focuses on
developing high temperature gas reactors (HTGRs), with an
ambition for a demonstrator by the early 2030s, as they optimise
opportunities for decarbonising industrial heat to support the
UK’s target of reaching net zero by 2050.
AMR technology
could be a cost-effective solution for decarbonising industry,
typically having higher temperature outputs than conventional
reactors. The low carbon, high temperature heat
from AMRs could be used for
hydrogen production, process heat for industrial and domestic
use, as well as electricity generation.
In addition, the government is providing up to £830,000 to the
Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency to
develop their capability and consider innovative regulatory
approaches to high temperature gas reactors (HTGRs). This will help
support the government’s plans to have a
UK-based HTGR demonstration
by the early 2030s. BEIS will work with the Nuclear
Decommissioning Authority and their wider estate to explore how
to leverage their knowledge, sites and operational experience to
inform the development, deployment and operation of the
demonstration and to support BEIS policy objectives in this area.
The winners announced today
- U-Battery Developments Ltd in Slough is receiving £499,845
for a study to determine the optimum size, type, cost, and
delivery method for an U-Battery AMR suitable for
demonstration in the UK
- EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Ltd in Gloucester and
Hartlepool is receiving £499,737 focusing on end-user
requirements to determine the reactor design characteristics most
suitable for a HTGR demonstration
in the 2030s. EDF proposes the Hartlepool Heat Hub as a host site
for the UK’s first HTGR demonstration
- Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation UK Ltd in St Helens,
Merseyside is receiving £498,312 for a project that will build on
USNC’s existing micro modular reactor (MMR) design as a foundation to
develop and demonstrate a modified MMR+ design best suited to UK
industry’s current and projected future process heat demands.
This includes a demonstration of hydrogen and sustainable
aviation fuel (SAF) production
- National Nuclear Laboratory Ltd in Cheshire is receiving
£497,495 for a project that coordinates a UK-Japan team
(NNL, Japan
Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and Jacobs) to leverage
a proven HTGR baseline from
Japan and adopt an innovative approach in its design, build,
construction and operation
- Springfields Fuels Ltd in Salwick, Lancashire is receiving
£243,311 for a project, in collaboration with Urenco Limited, to
support the range of potential HTGR technologies
which may come forward in the UK
- National Nuclear Laboratory Ltd in Cheshire is receiving
£250,000 under the Lot 2 Phase A funding, for a project that aims
to deliver a domestic commercial fuel supply starting with the
first fuel load for the HTGR demonstration
Notes to editors
Funding for this programme was split into 2 Lots:
- Lot 1 for projects developing advanced
modular HTGR technologies,
with up to £500,000 available for each project
- Lot 2 for projects developing coated particle fuel
(CPF)
for HTGR technologies,
with up to £250,000 available for each project
