Kingmoor Park Shortlisted for Rolls-Royce SMR Development

This is the largest and most complex facility, therefore, it is important to take decisions early to enable its deployment. Construction will begin once Rolls-Royce SMR receives the go-ahead to build a fleet of SMRs in the UK.

The shortlist was selected against a clear set of criteria, picked from over 100 submissions from Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and development agencies – suggesting sites across the UK where the Rolls-Royce SMR factories could be located.

Neil McIntyre, Managing Director at Kingmoor Park in Carlisle, said:

“Cumbria has an incredible nuclear legacy and we’re really excited about our region being at the forefront of nuclear innovation. The Rolls Royce SMR team has been actively exploring locations in Cumbria for their first, revolutionary power plant. It’s another positive step that Kingmoor Park in Carlisle is also now in the running to host the factory where the main components for the power stations will be manufactured.

“Securing this development would bring investment and more highly-skilled jobs to Cumbria, complementing the existing nuclear centre of excellence. It’s further evidence that clean energy generation will be a major part of Cumbria’s economic success in the decades to come. We’ll continue to put forward the best case we can to bring this facility to Carlisle.”

Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactors approach is a completely different way of building nuclear power stations, where 90 percent of the Rolls-Royce SMR built

in factory conditions significantly reducing the timescales and project risk.

The other two factories will manufacture civils modules and mechanical electrical and plumbing (MEP) modules, which will be transported to sites and assembled into a nuclear power station that will generate 470MW of low-carbon electricity.

Secretary of State for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy, Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP, said:

“This is fantastic news for Sunderland, North Yorkshire, Deeside, Lincolnshire and Carlisle which, if these SMRs go ahead, could be at the forefront of manufacturing components for this British-made tech. 

“Backed by £210m, SMRs have the potential to provide quicker and cheaper low-carbon nuclear power, and today’s announcement underlines the potential for new jobs around the country created by embracing this new technology.”

Jo Lappin, Chief Executive at the Cumbria LEP, said:

“Rolls Royce SMR’s decision confirms Cumbria’s standing as a place that has the natural assets, people, skills and knowledge to get these essential low carbon projects underway at pace. Securing the facility would help move forward Cumbria’s clean energy generation ambitions and create long-term and high-quality jobs and supply chain opportunities. The LEP will work closely with colleagues in Kingmoor Park to present a highly persuasive case to bring the facility to Carlisle.”