Charles Carpenter is a Senior Technology Offier at the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Center (NAMRC) based at Sheffield University.  NAMRC with 80 Engineers and Operators undertakes research into manufacturing processes and helps the manufacturers of nuclear technology to manufacture reactors in an efficient and  a cost effective way.  They have and are developing processes in collaboration with TWI and several other Institutes.  Charles has a MSc in Mechanical Engineering and has previously worked in Aerospace and manufacturing companies.  He presented on Small Modular Nuclear Reactors at CUED on 7/12/17.


Despite media reports about  a lack of UK expertise in the nuclear field, the UK contributes around 60% of the effort towards delivering up to 19GW of new nuclear power capacity in the UK, with the first new reactors expected to be operational in the mid-2020s.  This new generation of nuclear power stations will require a total investment of at least £70 billion.  The UK currently has 15 reactors with a total generating capacity of 10 gigawatts of electricity (GWe).  These stations generate around a fifth of the UK’s electricity – yet all but one is scheduled to be retired by 2030. The exception is Sizewell B, the UK’s only pressurised water reactor (PWR), which began operations in 1995.


A government review of energy policy in 2006 gave the green light to a new generation of nuclear power. Planning and design certification laws were streamlined to support new build, but any new reactors must be wholly financed and built by the private sector with no direct subsidy.  According to a 2012 study from IPPR commissioned by EDF Energy, investment in new nuclear power stations could raise UK GDP by over £5 billion, create 32,500 jobs, and increase nuclear industry exports by up to £900 million.


Four reactor designs are being formally considered for UK new-build: Areva’s EPR (originally the European Pressurised Reactor), Westinghouse’s AP1000, Hitachi-GE’s Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR), and the Chinese Hualong HPR1000.  It is the Areva EPR that is being constructed at Hinckley Point with two 1650 MW units to be built.  There are many challenges and issues associated with large reactors including construction time, cost, complexity and commissioning.


One option for the future now under consideration is small modular nuclear reactors.  Small modular reactors (SMRs), as defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency, are advanced reactors producing up to 300MW of electric power that can be largely built in factories as modules to minimise costly on-site construction.  Initial cost modelling suggests that SMRs will not be significantly cheaper, in terms of capital cost per megawatt output, than the current generation of gigawatt-scale reactors. A 2014 SMR feasibility study led by the National Nuclear Laboratory gave a best estimate of over £80/MWh – not far from the strike price agreed for Hinkley Point C.

SMRs should however be much more affordable to build, by avoiding the huge upfront costs of current reactors. An initial first-of-a-kind SMR power station would be a fraction of the cost of a gigawatt-scale new build and, once operational, will generate revenue to help finance additional units.  Because SMRs are designed to be largely made in factories, manufacturers will be able to use lessons learned from other sectors such as aerospace to drive down costs, and exploit new manufacturing techniques which aren’t approved for current reactor designs.  It is envisaged that SMRs will not be refuelled as large reactors but lifted from their location and replaced by another SMR.


The 2014 NNL report predicts a potential global SMR market of 65–85GWe by 2035, valued at £250–400 billion; and a UK market of around 7GWe.


SMRs will use similar fuel to large reactors and have similar electrical power plant.  It is the manufacturing processes where real savings could be made.