ABB, Rolls-Royce SMR sign agreement on nuclear small modular reactor collaboration

ABB has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rolls-Royce SMR, a nuclear power company developing small modular reactor (SMR) technology designed to reduce project risk, increase delivery certainty and provide low-carbon electricity quickly and affordably across global markets.

Within the scope of the MoU the two companies will explore collaboration opportunities on Rolls-Royce SMR’s plans to develop a fleet of units, each of which will generate 470 MW of low-carbon electricity and be capable of powering one million UK homes for 60 years. ABB will explore how its automation, electrification, instrumentation and communication solutions across its three business areas can enable the SMR projects to scale.

Rolls-Royce SMR has begun site-specific design and delivery activities for the UK’s first SMRs, initially comprising three units in North Wales, which will create thousands of jobs and boost local-for-local supply chains.

The company is also working with ČEZ to deploy Rolls-Royce SMRs at Temelín – with potential for additional units at Tušimice and Dětmarovice – and has recently been selected by Videberg Kraft to deliver three SMRs on Sweden’s Värö Peninsula.

The MoU collaboration will be developed through ABB’s UK operations, which are headquartered in Warrington. ABB has around 110,000 employees worldwide, including at locations in Sweden and the Czech Republic.

“Rolls-Royce SMR is transforming the way nuclear projects are delivered, to give greater cost and schedule certainty with a standardized, factory-built approach,” said Stacy O’Brien, Head of Procurement Enterprise at Rolls-Royce SMR. “ABB has a long and impressive record of delivering automation and electrification solutions to energy infrastructure projects and this agreement brings an opportunity to consider how we can further strengthen our delivery team.”

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), SMRs can be a catalyst for change if boosted by government support and new business models. With current policy settings, the IEA forecasts that total SMR capacity will reach 40 GW by 2050 – but with tailored policy support for nuclear power, streamlined regulations for SMRs and industry delivery on new designs, capacity could reach 120 GW.

“We are delighted to explore how we can work with Rolls-Royce SMR on its efforts to develop a global fleet of SMRs that can help expand reliable and affordable baseload power capacity to meet an increasing demand for low-carbon energy,” said Per Erik Holsten, President of ABB’s Energy Industries division. “Collaboration is also key – no single company or country alone can deliver the scale of energy expansion and energy transformation required to meet future demand. Partnerships along the energy value chain are instrumental for accelerating the commercialization of modern, advanced nuclear technologies.”

At the heart of each Rolls-Royce SMR is a pressurized water reactor (PWR) using technology that is already operating within hundreds of nuclear reactors worldwide. The Rolls-Royce SMR’s PWR is a symmetrically arranged, three-loop, close coupled reactor. The plant design provides multiple layers of safety, redundancy and back-up systems, meeting the highest standards of safety, security and safeguards.