2 min read - 29 Jun, 2026
Rolls-Royce SMR to open £12m development centre in Derby
Rolls-Royce SMR has announced plans to open its first manufacturing development centre, where it will establish the build processes, precision assembly and advanced testing needed to de-risk the delivery of its small modular reactor (SMR) fleet in the UK, Czechia, and now Sweden.
The new facility in Derby, called Pioneer Works, will be a non-nuclear site, housing specialist engineering and manufacturing projects that are critical to the successful deployment of Rolls-Royce SMR’s first power plants.
Around 40 highly skilled, long-term roles will be created and sustained as the facility ramps up, spanning advanced engineering, welding, testing, precision assembly, and manufacturing development, while helping train the next generation in these vital skills.
The centre, set to open in Q4 2026, will develop and validate the techniques, technologies and processes required to assemble the primary circuit and highest integrity components that sit at the heart of the nuclear power plant.
Rolls-Royce SMR is to open a £12m development centre in Derby, supporting the delivery of its small modular reactor programme / Picture: Rolls-Royce SMR
Ruth Todd CBE, Rolls-Royce SMR’s operations and supply chain director, said: “Pioneer Works will be at the centre of our ambition to transform the way nuclear projects are delivered, creating highly skilled jobs, supporting the wider supply chain and harnessing British engineering know-how to drive forward the next generation of nuclear power.
“I’m also incredibly proud that this facility will act as our first training centre to create a future workforce which will help build Rolls-Royce SMR’s factory-built nuclear power plants around the world.”
The £12m Pioneer Works site will operate alongside Rolls-Royce SMR’s existing EXPERI facility at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre. EXPERI will continue to play a valuable role in developing Rolls-Royce SMR’s unique modular approach to delivering proven nuclear technologies.
Together, these two facilities in the UK’s industrial heartland will underpin Rolls-Royce SMR’s delivery plan – helping move from design and prototype manufacture through to full modular assembly and power plant delivery.
In April, Rolls-Royce SMR signed a contract with Great British Energy – Nuclear to begin site-specific design and delivery activities for the UK’s first small modular reactors at Wylfa. This was followed by an early works agreement with ČEZ to progress licensing, permitting and site-specific design for deployment.
