Rolls-Royce selects design partner for major Derby site expansion work

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Rolls-Royce Submarines has announced the joint appointment of AtkinsRéalis and Mott MacDonald as its new fissile design partners – a key milestone in the expansion of its Raynesway site.

(l-r) Steve Walters, Major Projects Director – Nuclear, AtkinsRéalis; Stuart Hardman, Energy Defence Account Leader, Mott MacDonald; Terry Meighan, Director – Infrastructure, Rolls-Royce; Andy Smart, Head of Major Projects – Nuclear, AtkinsRéalis; Chris Hickey, Head of Supply Chain – Regeneration, Rolls-Royce and Jeremy Reed, Mott MacDonald Global Practice Leader – Nuclear.

Rolls-Royce Submarines has announced the joint appointment of AtkinsRéalis and Mott MacDonald as its new fissile design partners – a key milestone in the expansion of its Raynesway site.

Both AtkinsRéalis and Mott MacDonald are globally renowned engineering and development consultancies that bring with them a wealth of experience working on major, complex and high-profile projects.

In June 2023, it was announced that Rolls-Royce is planning to double the size of its Submarines site in Derby to meet the growth in demand from the Royal Navy, and as a result of last year’s AUKUS announcement.

This increase in demand will see new manufacturing and office facilities being built and will create 1,170 skilled roles across a range of disciplines, including manufacturing and engineering.

As the work will take place within the nuclear licensed site at Raynesway, the design and construction of fissile facilities adds a level of complexity and rigour above and beyond that of traditional builds. Working as the PROPEL joint venture, it will be AtkinsRéalis and Mott MacDonald’s role to design these new facilities and work with the incoming fissile construction partner to deliver them.

Rolls-Royce Submarines Infrastructure Director Terry Meighan said:

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The expansion work we have planned is of critical national importance as it enables us to safely increase our speed of manufacture, helping to deliver Dreadnought and the new SSN-AUKUS attack submarines at a much faster rate.

“The experience and deep nuclear knowledge, as well as the strong safety ethic, evidenced by the combined AtkinsRéalis and Mott MacDonald team means the design of our crucial new fissile facilities is in capable hands.”

Andy Smart, Head of Major Projects – Nuclear, AtkinsRéalis, said:

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These new facilities will be vital to deliver new submarines safely, swiftly and efficiently and we’re delighted to be appointed alongside Mott MacDonald to progress these plans at pace.

“This critical project requires expertise and skillsets across nuclear fuel management, defence and complex infrastructure programmes. Collectively, we'll use our experience across these disciplines to support Rolls-Royce Submarines in the successful delivery of this programme.”

Jeremy Reed, Global Practice Leader – Nuclear, Mott MacDonald said:

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Mott MacDonald brings over 60 years of experience delivering complex technical solutions in highly regulated, secure, and safety-critical nuclear environments. Combined with our commitment to excellence, safety, and sustainability, this experience, along with that of our partner AtkinsRéalis, will play a key role in supporting Rolls-Royce Submarines to deliver the successful expansion of the Derby site, continuing our longstanding commitment to support the UK submarine enterprise.”

Illustration of proposed Raynesway site expansion.

The next milestone in Rolls-Royce’s ten-year expansion programme is to select the fissile construction partner, who will bring AtkinsRéalis and Mott MacDonald’s designs to life. They will be tasked with building the nuclear manufacturing facilities, with the winning firm being announced in the coming weeks.

Rolls-Royce Submarines currently employs more than 5,000 people and designs, manufactures and provides in-service support to the pressurised water reactors that power every boat in the Royal Navy’s submarine fleet.

Rolls-Royce is currently supporting the existing Astute and Dreadnought boat build programmes through the delivery of reactor plant and associated components.

It also provides frontline support across the world for reactor plant equipment from its Operations Centre in Derby and supports the submarines when in the Barrow-in-Furness shipyard and the naval bases at Devonport and Faslane. In addition, there are technical specialists working in offices in Glasgow and Cardiff, with a unique test facility operating in Thurso, Scotland.

About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc
  1. Rolls-Royce develops and delivers complex power and propulsion solutions for safety-critical applications in the air, at sea and on land. Our products and service packages enable our customers to connect people, societies, cultures and economies together; they meet the growing need for power generation across multiple industries; and enable governments to equip their armed forces with the power required to protect their citizens.
  2. Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces and navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers. To meet customer demand for more sustainable solutions, we are committed to making our products compatible with net zero carbon emissions.
  3. Annual underlying revenue was £15.41bn in 2023 and underlying operating profit was £1.6bn.
  4. Rolls-Royce Holdings plc is publicly traded company (LSE: RR., ADR: RYCEY, LEI: 213800EC7997ZBLZJH69)
  5. For the last 60 years Rolls-Royce Submarines has designed, supplied and supported the nuclear propulsion plant that provides power for all of the UK Royal Navy's nuclear submarines. They are responsible for delivering the Nuclear Steam Raising Plants, plus parts of the secondary propulsion systems to the UK Ministry of Defence, including managing these assets across their full lifecycle. 
    www.rolls-royce.com
About AtkinsRealis

Created by the integration of long-standing organizations dating back to 1911, AtkinsRéalis is a world-class engineering services and nuclear company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. We create sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. We deploy global capabilities locally to our clients and deliver unique end-to-end services across the whole life cycle of an asset including consulting, advisory & environmental services, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and capital. The breadth and depth of our capabilities are delivered to clients in key strategic sectors such as Engineering Services, Nuclear, Operations & Maintenance and Capital. Engineering Services, Nuclear, Operations & Maintenance and Capital. News and information are available at www.atkinsrealis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

About Mott MacDonald

Mott MacDonald is an employee-owned engineering, development and management consultancy, with more than 20,000 people in over 50 countries. We plan, design, deliver and maintain the transport, energy, water, buildings and wider infrastructure that is integral to people’s daily lives. Our core strength is using our expertise to overcome complex challenges, for the benefit of our clients and the communities they serve.

Engineering. Management. Development.
mottmac.com

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