Lancashire’s National Nuclear Laboratory shows its capabilities to the Secretary of Energy

With the government recently backing Rolls Royce’s proposals for small modular reactors, hopes are high that the Springfields factory in Salwick, between Preston and Blackpool, could get work to produce fuel for the new generation of power plants.

Secretary of State for Energy, Clean Growth, and Climate Change Greg Hands and other government colleagues visited the National Nuclear Laboratory in Springfields to see scientists and experts working on the next generation of advanced nuclear technology.

This includes developing the prototype of fuel pellets that could be used in an advanced modular reactor as part of the proposed UK demonstration program.

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Minister Greg Hands with NNL boss Paul Howarth

The NNL team explained to the Minister that his laboratory in Salwick is an important part of the UK’s nuclear infrastructure and a strategic national asset.

The minister also heard more about the pioneering work by scientists in the fields of environmental remediation and health and nuclear medicine with the aim of reusing used nuclear materials that might otherwise be wasted.

Throughout the visit, the value of working together across the nuclear sector to drive future innovations and developments was highlighted. This includes NNL’s close collaboration with Westinghouse and other sector partners to ensure that the Springfields site remains a flagship of the UK’s advanced nuclear fuel manufacturing base.

The Minister said: “I was very pleased to visit the National Nuclear Laboratory in its world-leading laboratory for scientific research and innovation in the north-west of England.

“The work they are doing to develop advanced fuels for the next generation of nuclear reactors will be critical to Britain’s ambitions to develop our national capabilities and secure our position as the world leader in these clean energy technologies.

“It’s fantastic that we have a national laboratory in the NNL that is doing the key research and development we need to meet our net-zero targets while promoting UK skills, jobs and interests.”

Paul Howarth, Chief Executive Officer of NNL, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome the Minister and his colleagues to our Preston laboratory today. We really appreciate that you took the time to see firsthand the pioneering work we are doing here to harness nuclear science for the benefit of society, including the AFCP and ANSIC programs, the both received substantial government support.

“I look forward to working with the Minister and his team to develop some of the issues we discussed during the visit.”

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