Rolls-Royce Submarines has broken ground on its planned new manufacturing facility to support submarine production for the UK and Australia’s defense commitments. The new facility will help ramp up production of the company’s nuclear reactor technology, which currently powers British nuclear submarines.
“Breaking ground is a significant step forward in the critical growth of our business. This expansion will more than double the size of our manufacturing facility, strengthening our capability and demonstrating our ongoing commitment to the Defence Nuclear Enterprise,” Abi Clayton, President – Rolls-Royce Submarines, said in a press release.
“Together with our trusted delivery partners, our commitment is to deliver this program safely, efficiently and to the highest standards. This work will unlock much-needed manufacturing capacity on site, allowing us to enhance our delivery drumbeat to support the boat build program,” she added.
This expansion comes as demand for the reactors has ramped up over recent years. Rolls-Royce is currently required to supply not one, but three delivery requirements at once.
Rolls-Royce is expanding to meet demand
The first is for Britain’s upcoming domestic Dreadnought submarine fleet. These are designed to replace the nation’s now-aging Vanguard nuclear missile submarines, which are the UK’s preeminent nuclear deterrent.
The second is the planned SSN-AUKUS fleet designed to replace the Astute-class of submarines. These submarines will not only be deployed to the Royal Navy but will also be exported to Australia under the AUKUS agreement.
While all this is going on, Rolls-Royce also needs to meet its commitments under existing fleet support contracts. This includes, but is not limited to, the supply of spare components, maintenance, reactor engineering support, and upgrades.
So they can’t simply stop producing parts for old submarines while building new ones. A headache to be sure, but a welcome one. The new 100,000 m² facility will effectively add enough floor space to meet these demands and potentially create 1,170 new jobs for the UK.
Required labor will include nuclear welders, precision machinists, metallurgists, reactor engineers, quality inspectors, physicists, systems engineers, and manufacturing engineers. to name but a few. Many of these skills take years to develop, so apprenticeships will be key to the long-term sustainability of the enterprise.
What’s good for the UK is good for Australia
“The expansion of the Rolls-Royce site is a clear demonstration of the government’s commitment to the UK’s nuclear deterrent,” UK Defence Minister Lord Coaker said.
“Witnessing the manufacturing of the fifth SSSN-AUKUS reactor and the hundreds of apprentices in action was inspiring – seeing defence investment creating jobs, driving growth, and keeping the UK safe,” he added.
“The ongoing expansion work at Raynesway demonstrates the shared commitment of the UK and Australian governments to meet the ambitious pace of our submarine build program. Together, we are building the foundations for delivery to defend our nations for decades to come,” Royal Navy Commodore Alistair Moody, Director for Nuclear Propulsion at the Submarine Delivery Group, said.
“The significant nuclear enterprise investment confirmed in the DIP reflects the UK’s unwavering commitment to maintaining and renewing our nuclear deterrent, a capability that has protected the UK and our allies for almost 60 years. Delivering this work is a National Endeavour and continues to drive growth, strengthen security and sustain tens of thousands of jobs across the UK,” he concluded.