Key steam turbine components for UK Rolls-Royce SMRs to be produced in Newcastle

Key steam turbine components for the first three small modular reactors planned by Rolls-Royce SMR for the Wylfa project on Anglesey, North Wales, will be manufactured in the UK. Siemens Energy's Newcastle facility will undertake the production of components including high-pressure turbines and valve casings. This marks the first time in Europe that such components have been produced domestically for small modular reactors.

Under the arrangement, the Siemens Energy Newcastle facility is also planned to become the company's key component service centre for the Rolls-Royce SMR UK project fleet. The facility is located on the site of the historic C.A. Parsons Works, whose origins trace back to the turbine factory founded by Sir Charles Parsons. Since 1889, the site has been involved in UK energy infrastructure construction, including the manufacture of steam turbines for the Calder Hall Nuclear Power Station in West Cumbria. Calder Hall began generating electricity in 1956 and is regarded as the world's first commercial nuclear power station.

UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Miatta Fahnbulleh said that producing the components in the UK will help strengthen energy security, reduce the UK's exposure to volatility in international gas markets, and create new export opportunities for domestic industry.

UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Jonathan Reynolds said the arrangement is expected to create and support over 550 high-quality jobs in Newcastle and drive the development of the UK's domestic small modular reactor supply chain.

Simon Roddy, Chief Executive of Great British Energy – Nuclear, said that key components will be manufactured in Newcastle and used in the flagship North Wales project, demonstrating that different regions of the UK can participate in small modular reactor project delivery. He said that maintaining such strategic manufacturing capability will help strengthen the UK's industrial base and domestic supply chain.

In February 2025, Rolls-Royce SMR selected Siemens Energy as its global turbine system partner. Under the cooperation arrangement, the former Parsons site in Newcastle will produce key components for the UK Wylfa project as well as for the future growing small modular reactor export market.

Chris Cholerton, Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce SMR, said the arrangement reflects the company's commitment to advancing localised manufacturing and brings work that might otherwise have been carried out overseas to the UK. Darren Davidson, UK Vice President of Siemens Energy, said the Newcastle facility will leverage existing engineering capabilities to produce a new generation of steam turbine components for small modular reactors and support the development of the UK nuclear supply chain.