Westinghouse Says UK Has Advanced Manufacturing Capabilities For SMR

15 Apr (NucNet): Westinghouse Electric Company said the UK has the advanced manufacturing capabilities needed to manufacture the Westinghouse small modular reactor’s (SMR) reactor pressure vessel (RPV), one of the largest and most demanding parts of any reactor. The announcement follows a study of UK manufacturing capabilities by the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC). Westinghouse said it is confident that its ability to localise its supply chain and manufacturing in the UK demonstrates the company’s commitment to developing SMR technology in the country. Last year Westinghouse said it wants to work in partnership with the UK government to deploy its SMR technology. In January 2016, Westinghouse’s Springfields facility, near Preston in northern England, achieved the requirements necessary to manufacture Westinghouse SMR fuel in the UK, something Westinghouse said no other SMR technology provider offers. Nuclear AMRC, owned by the University of Sheffield, is a collaboration of academic and industrial partners from across the civil nuclear manufacturing supply chain.