Fri, 24 April, 2020
TWI has a history of working with the nuclear industry and, as such, entered a consortium led by Rolls-Royce and with funding from UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) to develop a compact nuclear power station.
The consortium has appointed Tom Samson as interim chief executive following the announcement that the current programme director, David Orr, is to retire at the end of April.
Tom Samson, who is the former CEO or NuGeneration Ltd and the founder and CEO of Guardian Power has joined the team with immediate effect.
Speaking on his new role, Tom said, “This consortium is playing a vital role in our future energy landscape and has both the collaborative spirit and the technological innovation to provide the UK with a home-grown response to the global challenges of climate change.”
He continued, “I look forward to collaborating with our industrial partners and the UK Government on delivering this world-class clean energy programme for the UK and beyond.”
The consortium has brought together project partners including Assystem, Atkins, BAM Nuttall, Jacobs, Laing O’Rourke, National Nuclear Laboratory, Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, Rolls-Royce and TWI.
The power station uses a compact design and components manufactured in UK factories, which will then be transported to existing nuclear sites for assembly inside a weatherproof canopy. This will cut costs by avoiding disruptions caused by adverse weather conditions while also securing efficiency savings through the use of streamlined and standardised manufacturing processes for the components.
It is believed that, by 2050, a UK programme of up to 16 compact power stations (known as Small Modular Reactors or ‘SMRs’) will create up to 40,000 jobs and provide £52bn of value to the UK economy as well as £250bn of exports
Each of these power stations will be able to operate for 60 years, providing 440MW of electricity, which is enough to power a city the size of Leeds.
You can find out more about small modular reactors in our dedicated FAQ.
Tom Samson