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In recent years, the North East has been undergoing a remarkable transformation, revitalising its industrial landscape through ambitious regeneration projects. It has led to plenty of hustle, bustle and real excitement as the region continues to gain momentum, and at a recent NOF event I and many others were thrilled to find out more about the latest feather it intends to add to its cap – nuclear.
I attended the recent NOF Nuclear North East Conference alongside my colleague Jack Gannon, Director of our Heysham branch who have many years of experience behind them supporting nuclear projects in the North West. At the event, we had the pleasure of hearing from industry experts on some of the exciting developments starting to spin up in our region.
Welcoming New Nuclear to the North East
The North East has been undergoing a remarkable period of transformation in recent years. In key areas like Teesside, we’ve witnessed the revitalisation of the region’s industrial prowess and its extensive push towards decarbonisation. The North East however isn’t an area typically linked with nuclear power generation – which made the day’s message of ‘New Nuclear’ coming this way all the more exciting.
While our North Sunderland and Teesside teams have been heavily involved supporting many of the renewable energy projects that are redefining the region, our Group’s heritage actually begins in the nuclear sector. From humble beginnings at Sellafield back in 1983, it’s remained a constant pillar of our business – one which we’ve built a strong and storied reputation in throughout our 4+ decades supporting global and local engineering companies across the entire nuclear lifecycle.
Continuing the North East’s history of innovation
This legacy is what makes New Nuclear entering the North East such an exciting prospect for us. The Hartlepool Power Station for instance, which is scheduled for decommissioning in 2027, represents a massive opportunity for our region to improve its nuclear footprint.
We’re already starting to see the introduction of a new wave of technology enter the sector – Great British Nuclear’s recent announcement that Rolls-Royce have been appointed to build the first Small Modular Reactor (SMR) power plant in Europe, for example – and Hartlepool Power Station is being considered for similar development. This type of upgrade would align perfectly with the region’s existing decarbonisation and regeneration plans.
SMRs and AMRs (Advanced Modular Reactors) could also see nuclear take on a more widespread approach across the North East – with similar standalone reactors being strategically developed alongside projects with significant power requirements. The advent of AI, for example, has fueled massive demand for data centres capable of processing the incredible amount of power required to support it. In places like the United States, we’ve already started to see that power being provided by these exact types of reactors. While the North East boasts impressive wind farms capable of powering the region, the consistent energy required to power projects of this scale would only be possible to generate sustainably through nuclear power.
NOF’s Nuclear NE Conference provided plenty more food for thought, and it was fantastic to see this year’s event bustling as our region’s nuclear presence continues to grow. There are exciting prospects on the horizon, and now it’s simply a case of when, not ‘if’, nuclear projects will begin to ramp up in the area.
We’re already prepared for when it does, with over 40 years of expertise to leverage from across our Group and a proven track record of delivering excellence across our North East operations. I look forward to seeing how the conversation around nuclear continues to evolve and being a part of it myself, and if your company is planning on being at the forefront of the region’s nuclear growth, I’d love to connect to chat further about the ways we could look to support.