Rolls Royce announced Friday that the company will supply
components for new reactors in the United Kingdom and potentially at projects
around the world.
The partnership was formed as EDF and Centrica plan to build
an Areva EPRTM reactor at the Hinkley Point nuclear plant. Rolls Royce will
manufacture parts for the reactor, which a company release said is the first to
be built in the UK since 1995.
The partnership could expand in scope in the future as Areva
bids for new reactor projects elsewhere in Europe and in the Middle East.
Work began on the new Hinkley reactor in 2008, and its
partners predict it will begin operating in 2018. Also in 2008, Rolls Royce
announced a new business unit focused on commercial nuclear power after years of
providing nuclear reactors for the British Navy. According to the Financial
Times, the company already provides supply chain expertise, manufacturing,
engineering and control systems to governments and nuclear power companies
around the world.