More nuclear power could come to South Gloucestershire
Rolls-Royce have been holding 'positive' talks about a number of sites in the South West
There could be more nuclear power stations in the South West, if talks lead to concrete plans for a new Small Nuclear Reactor (SMR) in South Gloucestershire.
This week, a senior team from the Rolls-Royce have been looking at potential locations for new SMR stations, having met potential stakeholders and members of the community around the nuclear sites at Berkeley and Oldbury.
Last year, the company set out to prioritise its first four sites which have the potential to create 15GW of new nuclear power - which could mean 1 million more homes per station would be powered by this form of low-carbon energy.
Among their 'first wave' sites was Oldbury, with Berkeley also earmarked by the SMR team for 'further investigation'.
David White, Rolls-Royce SMR's Chief Operating Officer, said: “This has been an extremely important step for us – allowing us to better understand the sites, see the potential for Rolls-Royce SMRs and, most importantly, meet representatives from the communities to discuss their aspirations for bringing new nuclear to the region.
"Rolls-Royce SMR’s factory-built power stations will play a significant part in guaranteeing future energy security for the UK and providing clean, affordable electricity for generations to come while supporting thousands of highly skilled jobs.
"We are looking to agree a route forward with Government to enable us to start building British factories, commissioning supply chain contracts and agreeing export deals abroad as soon as possible. It is vital that we maintain the momentum we have created and move from development into deployment.”
Cllr Toby Savage, Vice Chair of the Western Gateway Partnership, said: “It is great to see continued interest in our sites at Oldbury and Berkeley. Our area has a long history of expertise in pioneering new forms of energy generation and it was good to be able to demonstrate this to our guests from Rolls-Royce SMR.
“Sitting at the heart of the Western Gateway, Severn Edge will be a key part of our area reaching net zero while also creating high quality jobs and new educational opportunities for future generations. Alongside our partners, we are in the process of exploring a range of options to make sure we find the best use for these sites to unlock their potential.”
Each Rolls-Royce SMR would create enough clean energy to power a million homes for 60 years. Deploying a fleet of SMR in the UK would create 40,000 jobs across England and Wales.