Mayor announces partnership with Holtec to help train and grow nuclear workforce within South Yorkshire.
[Back row left to right: Sir Martin Donnelly – Member of the South Yorkshire Mayor’s Economic Advisory Council, former permanent secretary in the Department of Business and in the Department for International Trade; David Bond – Chair of South Yorkshire Energy; Dame Julia King – Chair of the Science & Technology Select Committee and Senior Adviser to Holtec Britain. Front row left to right: Oliver Coppard – Mayor of South Yorkshire; Gareth Thomas – Director of Holtec Britain]
South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, has welcomed a Cooperation, skills and supply chain agreement (Memorandum of Understanding) signed between South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and Holtec Britain.
The announcement, confirmed during a panel session at UKREiiF in Leeds, paves the way to help train and grow the nuclear workforce within the region.
This partnership comes after South Yorkshire was announced as the home of Holtec’s new planned Small Modular Reactor (SMR factory) in 2024. The factory represents a major £1.5bn investment and is set to create thousands of highly skilled jobs.
The intention and purpose of the agreement is to establish a framework for collaboration in support of Holtec’s manufacturing facility plans. SYMCA is committed to supporting this investment by ensuring that the region offers the skills, infrastructure, and co-investment necessary to realise these shared ambitions.
Through the agreement, SYMCA and Holtec will collaborate in the following key areas:
- Skills, planning and workforce development: SYMCA’s skills team will work with Holtec, partnering with colleges and other educational institutions to ensure the regional workforce is equipped with the skills required
- South Yorkshire Energy: This partnership will contribute to the growth and direction of South Yorkshire Energy
- Investment Zone Funding: Should the chosen site of Holtec’s proposed manufacturing facility be located in a designated Investment Zone, both parties will work collaboratively to unlock access to a share of the potential £80m funding available
- Alignment with SYMCA’s Economic Strategy: The collaboration will align with SYMCA’s broader economic strategy, which priorities the growth of nuclear expertise, infrastructure and supply chain capabilities
- Supply chain opportunities: SYMCA and Holtec will work together to help develop understanding and awareness of the opportunities of Holtec’s SMR programme from a South Yorkshire perspective
South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, said:
“In South Yorkshire, we’re building on hundreds of years of innovation and engineering heritage to create world leading facilities, skills and expertise; assets that will power the clean energy transition in the UK and beyond.
“We’re right at the cutting edge of the new nuclear, hydrogen and sustainable aviation sectors, and proud to be home to the largest clean tech sector in the UK. This partnership with Holtec means we’ll be working together to help train and grow the nuclear workforce our region, and the country, needs.
“It’s another step in our mission to make South Yorkshire a leader in clean reliable energy, it will create hundreds of new jobs and opportunities to make sure our people have the skills and opportunities to stay near and go far.”
Gareth Thomas, Director of Holtec Britain said:
“Holtec has been working in the UK’s nuclear ecosystem for over 25 years. Today – together with South Yorkshire – we intend to cement our UK footprint – creating high-quality local jobs, supply chain opportunities and partnerships that will help the region and the nation grow and decarbonise.”
“South Yorkshire’s proud industrial heritage, skilled workforce, and commitment to clean-tech and innovation make it an ideal home for a Holtec advanced manufacturing facility to supply the nuclear and defence sectors. Holtec is working to finalise its factory business plan to support its Final Investment Decision, based on its UK and international order book.”
“Together, we will further strengthen the UK and South Yorkshire’s position at the forefront of clean energy technology – creating thousands of skilled, highly-paid engineering local jobs while supporting thousands more in the UK’s wider manufacturing supply chains.”
Holtec’s Advanced Manufacturing Division in Camden, New Jersey
About SYMCA
About the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority
Led by Oliver Coppard, South Yorkshire’s Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner, we bring together the local authorities of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield to shape the future of South Yorkshire.
The Mayor and MCA have a shared purpose to create a stronger, greener, fairer South Yorkshire. We work together with stakeholders and communities across South Yorkshire to ensure our plans are inclusive and sustainable, to unlock the potential of our people, businesses and places and help them prosper and grow.
With powers and resources devolved from Westminster, we can take decisions locally about our economy, transport, skills, housing and infrastructure to create a better South Yorkshire.
About Holtec
Holtec Britain is a subsidiary of Holtec International. Holtec is the US’s largest exporter of capital nuclear components and its largest commercial decommissioning company. 145 nuclear plants worldwide rely on Holtec for spent fuel storage & transport to which it captures over 60% of the US Market and 40% of international market. Globally, Holtec employs over 2000 people.
Holtec has been part of the nuclear ecosystem in the UK for over 25 years. In December 2023, Hotec was awarded £30m from the UK’s Future Nuclear Enabling Fund to progress its Small Modular Reactor (SMR) design through the UK ‘Generic Design Assessment’ (GDA) process.
Holtec’s proven and existing pressurised water reactor (PWR) technology is already made in the UK and fits seamlessly into the existing domestic supply chain.
Holtec are committed to significant UK investment – noted at the government’s International Investment Summit – including building an advanced SMR factory in South Yorkshire, a training academy with Hyundai E&C, and using 70% UK content. This investment is projected to create over 16,000 jobs, £1.5bn GVA, and to unlock an export market worth billions – where the UK could enjoy first mover advantage.
Holtec plans to deploy the USA’s first Small Modular Reactor (SMR-300) by 2030 in Michigan – which will create training opportunities and derisk Holtec’s plans for the UK.
Holtec’s SMR-300 program leads a consortium of world class players including Balfour Beatty, Mott MacDonald, Mitsubishi Electric and Hyundai E&C – who together have supplied 64 nuclear power plants around the world. It is working with respected players in the UK supply chain and industrial base – from trade unions, to signing MoUs with the MTC and Sheffield Forgemasters.
Contact
For more information on Holtec or to request an interview, please contact will.murray@bradshawadvisory.com (07481481723)
For more information on SYMCA or to request an interview, please contact Danielle.hoe @southyorkshire-ca.gov.uk
