Holtec Picks U.K. Site for Small Nuclear Reactor Plant

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Holtec International (Jupiter, Florida) has chosen a site in the U.K. for its first European small nuclear reactor factory.

The location, GatewayEast, is adjacent to Doncaster-Sheffield Airport, in northern England and will be home to the planned £1.5 billion (US$2 billion) facility. The announcement comes just weeks before an expected decision by the U.K. government on which SMR technologies will be chosen for the country's first small nuclear power plants. Holtec said it is entering detailed negotiations with landowner Peel Land to finalize the deal. Holtec is one of four SMR companies shortlisted by the government's Great British Nuclear (GBN) body, which is tasked with delivering the development and deployment of new nuclear technologies. The others are GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy International (Wilmington, North Carolina), Rolls-Royce (London, England) and Westinghouse Electric Company (Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania).

Holtec Britain director Gareth Thomas said: "In Doncaster, Holtec's plans for a new advanced manufacturing facility will create a new industrial renaissance for the nation. With the reopening of Doncaster-Sheffield Airport, we're excited about the potential this site has to offer. Holtec is now finalising the factory business plan to support its Final Investment Decision. We are delivering tangible wins for the British economy - thousands of homegrown jobs, foreign direct investment, a new export market, the re-industrialization of South Yorkshire, cementing U.S., U.K., Korean and Japanese relations through our partners - all while lowering bills, and powering the economy through clean energy."

Holtec said its SMR hub will give the U.K. "first mover advantage" in a new export market for SMR components that it claimed will be worth billions of pounds. The company wants to build two of its SMR-300 pressurized water reactor (PWR) units per year, with half of the output slated for exports. It aims to use 70% U.K. content in its nuclear, clean energy and defence programmes. Great British Nuclear may choose up to three SMR technologies and it owns land for potential new nuclear development at both Wylfa in Wales and Oldbury-on-Severn in England, both former nuclear power sites undergoing decommissioning. Holtec is also progressing plans to build two 300-megawatt (MW) SMRs at the existing Palisades nuclear power plant site in Michigan in the U.S. The company will seek a construction permit application for the reactors next year, with the goal of commissioning the first SMR-300 plant in mid-2030. In recent months, the company received the green light from the U.S. government to export the SMR-300 to India. A similar deal with Ukraine was greenlit in 2024.

The U.K.'s new government is very keen on revitalizing the U.K.'s nuclear industry and in February it promised to "rip up" the nuclear power rulebook and speed up the rollout of new nuclear power projects, in particular SMR technology. It aims to incorporate mini-nuclear power stations in planning rules to allow firms to build them in areas that need them, scrap rules that limit nuclear projects to just eight sites, remove the expiry date on nuclear planning rules and establish a nuclear regulatory task force to accelerate the planning process. For additional information, see February 26, 2025, article - U.K. 'Rips Up' Nuclear Power Rulebook.

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