Sheffield Forgemasters, X-energy and Cavendish Nuclear have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperating to explore opportunities around the deployment of fleet of Xe-100 high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) in the U.K.
X-energy of the U.S. and Cavendish Nuclear, a U.K. subsidiary of the Babcock International group, will have access to Sheffield Forgemasters’ decades of experience in the development of nuclear forging and castings. They have plans to build up to forty Xe-100s across the U.K.
Dominic Ashmore is the Head of Strategy and Business Development - Clean Energy at Sheffield Forgemasters. He said, "Following the key step forward recently made by Great British Nuclear (GBN) to boost UK nuclear power generation through small modular reactor (SMR) development, GBN is also developing a route to market for other technologies, including advanced nuclear and a consultation will be published this autumn. The UK's civil nuclear development is part of our business strategy and this MoU is the latest in a line of agreements that we have signed with a number of SMR companies looking to deploy in the UK market.”
Ashmore added. “Our work with X-Energy and Cavendish Nuclear will provide specialist engineering services, support and components including forgings, to the UK Xe-100 deployment program. Sheffield Forgemasters will undertake a detailed review of the Xe-100 forgings and look to facilitate more definitive cost estimates and production plans.”
Carol Tansley is a vice president of U.K. Nuclear New Build at X-Energy. She said, “We're delighted to be collaborating with Sheffield Forgemasters, which is a world-renowned industry leader in its field. Our technology will be the first small modular reactor operational in the US and we want to build on that progress by moving forward quickly with our U.K. program. In delivering that fleet we want to maximize the involvement of the UK supply chain as part of our target to achieve 80% by value UK content, and the MoU with a company with the experience and capabilities of Sheffield Forgemasters is a crucial step in that journey.”
The Xe-100 is a Generation IV advanced reactor design. X-energy says it is based on decades of HTGR operation, research and development. Designed to operate as a standard three hundred and twenty megawatt four-unit power plant with each unit contributing eighty megawatts. It is engineered to deliver reliable and load-following grid-scale power to electricity systems and to pair seamlessly with renewables. At two hundred thermal megawatts of five hundred sixty-five degrees steam, the Xe-100 is also suitable for other power applications including mining and heavy industry.
In December of 2021, U.K. energy minister Greg Hands announced that HTGRs have been selected as the preferred advanced reactor technology for the U.K. Advanced Modular Reactor Research, Development & Demonstration Program. The program counts on two hundred and ten million dollars of government funding from a four hundred and seventy million dollar package which is intended to accelerate of highly flexible nuclear technologies.
In May of 2022, Cavendish Nuclear signed a MoU with X-energy to act as its deployment collaborator for HTGRs in the U.K. The two companies have applied to the U.K.'s Future Nuclear Enabling Fund to support a Generic Design Assessment of the Xe-100 SMR. It also calls for supply chain development for the first proposed project.