British construction and engineering group Costain is collaborating with U-Battery Developments Ltd to develop an advanced modular reactor which is being funded by the UK Department of Business.
The company said the work is in support of the government’s £12bn 10-point plan for carbon reduction to develop new nuclear energy solutions to help achieve the UK’s net zero carbon target.
The initial scope of Costain’s work is to advise on the engineering design of the modular, offsite construction and installation methods that will ultimately mean the SMR can be competitively priced and deployed locally to meet demand.
The company said the work is in support of the government’s £12bn 10-point plan for carbon reduction to develop new nuclear energy solutions to help achieve the UK’s net zero carbon target.
The initial scope of Costain’s work is to advise on the engineering design of the modular, offsite construction and installation methods that will ultimately mean the SMR can be competitively priced and deployed locally to meet demand.
The U-Battery consortium, led by Urenco, aims to have its first reactor in operation by 2028.
The conceptual design of the U-Battery SMR was developed by the universities of Manchester in the UK and Delft in the Netherlands after the project was initiated by Urenco. The plant will be powered by accident tolerant Triso fuel, which according to U-Battery prevents the release of radioactive material, minimising the need for back-up shutdown systems.
In July 2020 the UK announced £30m in funding for three SMR projects, one of which was the U-Battery plant.
