The government funding will be matched by X-energy for a total programme of £6.68m. The companies will use the funds to develop UK-specific deployment plans, including an assessment of domestic manufacturing and supply chain opportunities, constructability, modularisation studies, and fuel management.
X-energy and Cavendish Nuclear also announced a partnership with Kier Group to support constructability and supply chain analyses. Kier joins Sheffield Forgemasters and the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC) to support X-energy and Cavendish Nuclear in completing the scope outlined in their FNEF proposal.
The companies’ goal is for 80 per cent of the value of the Xe-100 projects to flow to UK firms. Last year X-energy and Cavendish Nuclear signed a memorandum of understanding with Howden, the Glasgow-based gas circulation component manufacturer. They will also work with Nuclear Waste Services to review the approach to spent fuel management.
“[FNEF award] reflects the readiness of our advanced technology to contribute to the UK’s energy needs in the next wave of new nuclear,” Carol Tansley, X-energy’s UK market leader and VP of Projects said in a statement. “Building on X-energy’s initial deployment with Dow on the US Gulf Coast, we can create jobs and long-term energy security in the UK with clean, reliable advanced nuclear power.”
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The FNEF is intended for potential nuclear projects with mature technologies that could be able to take a Final Investment Decision (FID) within the next parliament.
X-energy and Cavendish Nuclear are proposing to develop a multi-billion pound 12-reactor plant at Hartlepool that would be ready by the early 2030s. The companies plan to build a fleet of up to 40 of the advanced small modular Xe-100 reactors in the UK, creating thousands of jobs in construction and operations. This would provide 3,200MW of electricity, or 8,000MW of high temperature heat and steam to support zero-carbon manufacturing and industrial processes.
“A fleet of Xe-100s can complement renewables by providing constant or flexible power and produce steam to decarbonise industry and manufacture hydrogen and synthetic transport fuels,” said Mick Gornall, managing director of Cavendish Nuclear. “Deployment in the UK will create thousands of high-quality, long-term jobs across the country.”
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