Rolls-Royce SMR has signed a contract with the UK subsidiary of Sweden’s Skanska to deliver an aseismic bearing pedestal demonstrator for its small modular reactor (SMR), currently under development. These structural isolation devices are a key part of the factory-built SMR’s design and play a critical role in decoupling buildings and infrastructure from ground motion during seismic events.
The component will be delivered from Skanska’s fabrications facility in Doncaster, England, and includes first building a prototype of the aseismic bearing pedestal to allow standardisation of the Rolls-Royce SMR design across a diverse range of geotechnical and seismic conditions. Skanska, one of Sweden’s largest companies, is a leading project development and construction company with a strong presence in the UK, North America and Europe including Czech Republic
“Working with Skanska is a significant step forward in proving the capability of our aseismic bearing technology and demonstrating our modular approach to construction,” said Rolls-Royce SMR Operations and Supply Chain Director Ruth Todd. “By working with a trusted delivery partner, we are de-risking our ‘fleet-based’ approach and creating opportunities for more British and Czech suppliers to play a key role the Rolls-Royce SMR mission.”
Adam McDonald, Executive Vice President at Skanska UK, noted: “We’ll be bringing our civil engineering, design and fabrications expertise to build and test a first-of-its-kind pre-cast bearing pedestal – a critical component for Rolls-Royce SMR in building new nuclear power generation. Over the coming months, we’ll develop the prototype and run various technical trials at our Bentley Works facility in Doncaster. We are looking forward to playing our part in developing the next generation of nuclear energy.”
Rolls-Royce SMR was selected as preferred bidder in the Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) SMR competition and by European utility, ČEZ, to build up to three gigawatts of new nuclear power in the Czech Republic. GBE-N recently announced that Wylfa on Ynys Mon (Anglesey) was selected as the site for the UK’s first small modular reactors.
