Published by Insider Media
SHEFFIELD FORGEMASTERS WINS MULTIMILLION-POUND ROLLS-ROYCE SMR CONTRACT
Sheffield Forgemasters has secured a multimillion-pound contract from Rolls-Royce SMR to support the development of forgings for use in its small modular reactors (SMRs).
The £3.7m contract follows on from a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the companies earlier this month (December 2021) and aims to support the UK's nuclear renaissance and the development of commercial SMRs.
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 first production of the components.
Sheffield Forgemasters is the only UK company able to produce these forgings, with Rolls-Royce SMR set to benefit from Sheffield Forgemasters' decades of experience.
It is the first major supply chain material contract enabled by the coming together of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) grant funding, provided through the Low Cost Nuclear challenge and private capital, to form the Rolls-Royce SMR business.
Matthew Blake, Rolls-Royce SMR's chief engineer, said: "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[1]energise the vital UK nuclear supply chain."
David Bond, chief executive at Sheffield Forgemasters, added: "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."