Siemens to manufacture key turbine components for Rolls-Royce SMR in Britain

Siemens Energy will manufacture selected turbine system components for the British Rolls-Royce SMR programme at its Newcastle plant. The contract is intended to strengthen the UK supply chain and retain nuclear manufacturing capacity in the country.

Production will cover the first three planned units of the Gwyndod project and will include, among other things, high-pressure steam turbine sections and valve chests. According to Rolls-Royce SMR, this will be the first time these components have been manufactured for a small modular reactor in Europe. The involvement of Siemens Energy's plant in north-east England is also expected to support more than 550 jobs.

Newcastle will also become a service centre

The CA Parsons Works plant will serve not only as a manufacturing site but also as Siemens Energy's service centre for key components of the British Rolls-Royce SMR fleet. The site has a long tradition of producing power equipment – turbines have been manufactured there since the late 19th century, and the plant was involved, for example, in supplying the steam turbine for the UK's Calder Hall nuclear power plant, which began generating electricity in 1956.

Rolls-Royce SMR selected Siemens Energy as its global partner for turbine systems as early as February 2025. The partnership covers the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of turbines for future projects using this technology. Siemens Energy is to supply steam turbines, generators and related auxiliary systems.

Three units are expected to provide around 1.4 GW

The Gwyndod power plant is to be built at the Wylfa site on the island of Anglesey in north Wales. The British government selected Wylfa for the country's first SMR project in November 2025, with the first phase comprising three Rolls-Royce SMR units. Each reactor unit is expected to have an electrical capacity of 470 MW. In the future, the British government envisages the site being used for up to eight reactors.

Great British Energy – Nuclear and Rolls-Royce SMR signed an agreement in April this year, enabling work to begin on the project for the specific site. The current first phase of the contract primarily includes design and preparatory work for three units. Construction itself, as well as equipment supply and installation, is to follow only in the second phase and is conditional on a positive final investment decision and further project approvals.

The reactor design is also still undergoing the British regulatory process. Rolls-Royce SMR is in the third detailed phase of the Generic Design Assessment (GDA), carried out by the UK's nuclear regulator ONR together with the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales. The project therefore cannot yet be considered fully licensed for construction.

Britain seeks to strengthen its domestic nuclear industry

Moving production of key turbine components to Newcastle is in line with the British government's efforts to increase the domestic share of the supply chain for new nuclear projects. Siemens Energy also expects the plant to manufacture components not only for the first British units but also for future Rolls-Royce SMR projects in export markets.

According to the company, using the established turbine plant should help retain specialised manufacturing capacity and technical know-how in the country. Manufacturing equipment for the first three Gwyndod reactors thus represents one of the concrete steps towards building a British supply chain for the small modular reactor programme.