Agreement will be for first units in global fleet of small modular reactors
UK-based nuclear plant developer Rolls-Royce SMR and Japanese multinational electrical engineering and software company Yokogawa Electric Corporation are forming a partnership to deliver data processing and control systems (DPCS) for the first units in a global fleet of Rolls-Royce small modular reactors (SMRs).
Rolls-Royce SMR said in a statement the agreement brings one of the world's leading industrial automation specialists on board to develop and deliver the main control system for the Rolls-Royce SMR programme.
The scope of the agreement includes design engineering, validation and qualification, product hardware, building and testing the system, installation and commissioning.
The project will be delivered and supported from Yokogawa’s UK office and design facility in Runcorn, Cheshire, alongside work in the Czech Republic and Netherlands.
The statement said that to support the project, Yokogawa has committed to make “considerable investments” helping to secure jobs and strengthen the UK’s nuclear supply chain. The statement did not give any figures
Ruth Todd, operations and supply chain director at Rolls-Royce SMR, said the agreement to provide the power station’s “central nervous system” marks another significant milestone as the company accelerate towards delivering the first in a global fleet of Rolls-Royce SMRs.
Rolls-Royce SMR has been selected as the preferred bidder by government body Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE‑N) to build three units and by European utility ČEZ to build up to three GW of new nuclear power in the Czech Republic. It has also been selected in the final two, along with GE Vernova, as part of state power company Vattenfall’s process to identify Sweden’s nuclear technology partner for potential SMR deployment.
