Rolls-Royce has appointed Balfour Beatty as its fissile construction partner for the planned expansion of its Raynesway site in Derby, the company stated.
The expansion will support Rolls-Royce’s commitment to provide reactors for the Royal Navy’s future submarine fleet, including those to be delivered under the AUKUS programme. The company previously announced in 2023 that it intends to double the size of the site, creating 1,170 skilled roles and building new manufacturing and office facilities.
As the work involves nuclear-licensed facilities, Rolls-Royce noted that the construction of fissile infrastructure requires additional complexity and safety measures compared to conventional projects. Balfour Beatty had already been named as the non-fissile construction partner last year, and will now provide continuity across the full expansion effort.
Terry Meighan, Rolls-Royce Submarines Infrastructure Director, was quoted in the press release as saying: “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.”
He added: “The experience, pedigree and strong commitment to safety displayed by Balfour Beatty during the tender process means we now have a full complement of design and construction partners across the fissile and non-fissile expansion work.”
Nick Crossfield, Balfour Beatty Group Sector Lead, UK Defence, said: “Our appointment to this critical programme is a powerful endorsement of Balfour Beatty’s specialist expertise and proven ability to deliver complex infrastructure within one of the UK’s most secure and regulated environments.”
Rolls-Royce Submarines employs more than 5,000 people across the UK and currently supports the Astute and Dreadnought submarine build programmes. The company also provides in-service support for the Royal Navy’s submarine reactors from its Derby operations centre and through teams based in Barrow-in-Furness, Devonport, Faslane, Glasgow, Cardiff, and Thurso.
ABC?
I wonder what we are going to do with all this spare capacity once Australia pulls out of AUKUS.
Hopefully we will increase our own fleet.
Anything with the n-word will be 10x the normal price.