UK nuclear modular manufacturing R&D centre opens

A new modular manufacturing research and development centre in North West England was officially opened today by the UK's Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre. It said the new facility - hosted by shipbuilder Cammell Laird - is the first of a new network of regional supply chain hubs.

A new modular manufacturing research and development centre in North West England was officially opened today by the UK's Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC). It said the new facility - hosted by shipbuilder Cammell Laird - is the first of a new network of regional supply chain hubs.

Cammell Laird's Birkenhead site (Image: Cammell Laird)

The new centre is located at NAMRC member company Cammell Laird's 120-acre (49 hectare) site in Birkenhead on the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool. The site features four dry docks, a non-tidal wet basin, a large modular construction hall and extensive covered workshops.

The new facility expands NAMRC's capabilities into modular manufacturing, which involves the off-site assembly of large-scale complex systems, which are then transported to the site for final installation. Such techniques are already widely used in shipbuilding, aerospace and other safety-critical industries. NAMRC said modular techniques in the nuclear sector can significantly reduce construction risk and help deliver new power plants to schedule and cost.

The Fit for Modules project - supported by NAMRC, Arup, Fraser Nash and Laing O'Rourke - aims to develop the UK supply chain in to a world-leading provider of modular manufacturing techniques for nuclear and other high-value energy sectors. The first phase of the project will produce a detailed study showing how the development of modular techniques can support the UK's nuclear new build program, and identify what research and investment are needed. The consortium is expected to publish a technology roadmap next year detailing how the required technologies and capabilities can be developed over the next five years.

NAMRC managing director Andrew Storer said, "Our new Birkenhead facility extends our capabilities into an area of huge interest and importance to the nuclear industry. Modularisation reduces risk in manufacturing and construction, and will help developers build new power stations on schedule and on budget, meeting our national targets for secure, cost-effective, low-carbon electricity generation." He added, "The manufacturing techniques we will develop at the new facility can also help improve production efficiency and costs in other parts of the nuclear market, for example in the manufacture of large numbers of standardised waste boxes for the decommissioning program."

Jonathan Brown, managing director of Cammell Laird's energy division, said: "Working with NAMRC, we will invest in our facilities and our skilled workforce and supply chain to meet the demands of modular new build. Looking forward, we will also target the export market through a strategy built on working with partners and countries around the world, focussed on the exploitation of the benefits of modular construction."

The NAMRC is a collaboration of academic and industrial partners from across the civil nuclear manufacturing supply chain, and was established in 2012 with the mission of helping UK manufacturers win work at home and worldwide. It is part of the UK government-backed High Value Manufacturing Catapult, and managed by the University of Sheffield.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News