The Engineer

Urenco leaves U-Battery modular reactor project

News

Urenco is leaving the U-Battery project having ‘exhausted attempts to secure the commitment of new commercial investors.’

Mock-up of the main vessels of U-Battery’s advanced modular reactor (AMR). U-Battery is a high-temperature gas-cooled AMR, which can be deployed quickly to provide a scaleable output of 10MW thermal, of which up to 4MW could be delivered as electricity
Mock-up of the main vessels of U-Battery’s advanced modular reactor (AMR). U-Battery is a high-temperature gas-cooled AMR, which can be deployed quickly to provide a scaleable output of 10MW thermal, of which up to 4MW could be delivered as electricity - U-Battery

U-Battery is an advanced small modular reactor (10MWt/4Mwe) being designed as source of power and heat for energy intensive industry and remote locations.

The conceptual design was developed by the Universities of Manchester and Delft in 2009 and has since advanced from feasibility to ‘a serious design with a strong technical understanding and basis’.

In a statement, Urenco said it intends to preserve the public investment in U-Battery by transferring its intellectual property to the National Nuclear Laboratory, pending due diligence and governance approvals. 

Related content

Chris Chater, chief technology officer, said: “We are proud of the progress the U-Battery team have made to date; from a conceptual design…to successfully winning UK government backing as part of AMR competitions from 2018 onwards.

“While Urenco has refocused its priorities, we continue to believe in the U-Battery design which could provide an innovative decarbonisation solution for hard-to-abate sectors.”

Chater continued: “As such, we plan to support AMR and SMR designs like U-Battery in the future through fuel development, which we are investing in as part of our business strategy.”

In September 2022 U-Battery was one of four companies selected by the former Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to progress the design and development of advanced modular reactors. In January 2023 U-Battery was granted its first patent for the design of its high temperature gas-cooled reactor fuel element and reactor core. U-Battery said it is pursuing similar patents in the USA and Canada.

Steve Threlfall, general manager of U-Battery, said: “I am proud of the progress the U-Battery team has made; from a conceptual design on paper to building a real-world component as part of the AMR competition. As such I would like to thank the U-Battery team, and those who have supported the project from Urenco, for their hard work and dedication over the years.” 

advanced modular reactors