Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress his Department has made on the programme for Small Modular Nuclear Reactors.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Small Modular Reactors could have an important role to play in the UK energy system in the transition to net zero by 2050 and in support of energy security.
The Government has awarded £210m to support development of the Rolls Royce Small Modular Reactor (SMR) design. The Rolls-Royce SMR entered the Generic Design Assessment process in March becoming the first SMR to begin UK nuclear regulation.
As outlined in the British Energy Security Strategy, the Government intends to initiate a selection process in 2023 for the next nuclear projects, including SMRs.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support the development of small modular nuclear reactors in the UK.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Small Modular Reactors could have an important role to play in the UK energy system as the UK transitions to net zero by 2050.
The Government has awarded £210m to support development of the Rolls Royce Small Modular Reactor (SMR) design. The Rolls-Royce SMR entered the Generic Design Assessment process in April becoming the first SMR to begin UK nuclear regulation.
As outlined in the British Energy Security Strategy, the Government intends to initiate a selection process in 2023 for the next nuclear projects, including SMRs.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 1 December (HL3482), whether they can provide a breakdown of the £194 million grant by (1) hydrogen fuel cells, (2) other electric battery technologies, (3) hydrogen combustion, (4) synthetic liquid fuels, and (5) biofuels.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
A breakdown of ATI Programme R&D grants awarded, by individual project, are set out in the table below. Co-funded R&D project supported through the ATI Programme typically involve a range of collaborators including industry partners, universities and research organisations (the ATI Programme has an average of 4 partners per project). Further project information and descriptions can be found on UKRI’s Gateway to Research (gtr.ukri.org) and the ATI website (ati.org.uk)
ACCEL (Rolls-Royce) – battery-electric powertrain | £3.4m |
AEDD (Vertical Aerospace) – diagnostic charge device for aircraft batteries | £1.2m |
AEMTA (Safran) – electro-mechanical systems for moving electrical motors and machines | £3.1m |
AEPEC (Safran) – electrical power systems | £10.8m |
AEROBAT (Rolls-Royce) – battery modules for all-electric propulsion systems | £7.3m |
AeroMC (Safran) – electric and hybrid propulsion and power controls | £14.9m |
E-HAV1 (Hybrid Air Vehicles) – electric propulsion system technologies | £1.1m |
EMPAS (QinetiQ) – electric motors for jet engines | £1.2m |
Feasibility Analysis and Modelling of MgB2 Superconducting Electrical Power Machines (Epoch Wires) – electric machines for future aircraft | £0.25m |
FRESSON (Cranfield Aerospace Solutions) – electric (hydrogen fuel cell) propulsion system | £9.6m |
H2GEAR (GKN Aerospace) – Liquid hydrogen (fuel cell) propulsion system | £27.2m |
HEPBAS (Electroflight) – electric drivetrain and battery systems | £0.4m |
HEPBAS (Electroflight) – electric propulsion battery systems | £0.35m |
HIDASP (MicroLink Devices) – solar fuel cells for electric aircraft | £3.0m |
HYFLY (Airbus) – airframe integration for hybrid electric demonstrator | £14m |
HYFLYER (ZeroAvia) – hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system | £2.7m |
HYFLYER 2 (ZeroAvia) – hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion system | £12.3m |
IDP (Vertical Aerospace) – key technologies for battery-electric flying taxi | £11.9m |
INCEPTION (Blue Bear) – all electric propulsion module using batteries and fuel cells | £2.9m |
IPCCA (Collins) – architecture for motor drive electronics | £2.4m |
IPPA (Airbus) – identify key technologies enabling more electrical aircraft | £4.2m |
LACS (Blue Dolphin UK) | £0.32m |
LAMPS (Collins Aerospace) – power electronics and motors | £1.3m |
MEGAFLIGHT (Rolls-Royce) – propulsion system for hybrid electric demonstrator | £17.2m |
SMPP (Safran) – electrical systems for more electric aircraft | £12.2m |
SREEV (Advanced Innovative Engineering) – Hybrid power units for UAVs | £0.53m |
UTOPEA (Evolito/YASA) – electric motors and power electronics | £5.5m |
ZEST-1 (Airbus) – initial steps towards large hydrogen-powered aircraft | £19.5m |
ZIP (Airbus) – key technologies for high altitude satellites | £3.6m |
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with aircraft manufactures about the safe use of (a) sustainable and (b) synthetic fuels in the RAF.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has discussed the use of sustainable and synthetic fuels in air platforms over a number of years. These discussions enabled the Royal Air Force (RAF) to fly the UK's first military air transport flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel on one of their operational Voyager aircraft. This was a joint endeavour between the MOD and industry partners, Airbus, AirTanker and Rolls-Royce, with the fuel supplied by Air BP.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution published on 18 November 2020, how much money has been paid into the Advanced Nuclear Fund since the publication of the plan.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The £385m Advanced Nuclear Fund, announced in 2020, includes funding of up to £210m for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs). For SMRs, this is being delivered through the Low-Cost Nuclear Innovation Programme which provided a £210m grant to Rolls-Royce (RR) SMR. This encouraged industry to invest £280m, from Rolls Royce and other investors. For AMRs, in September the Government announced up to £3.3m for successful organisations under Phase A of the Research, Development and Demonstration programme.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support UK-based engineering companies in developing Small Modular Nuclear reactors.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is providing £210m of funding for Rolls-Royce SMR, which will be matched by industry. Rolls-Royce SMR is the largest engineering collaboration the UK has seen and the UK is working towards maximising British content, creating new intellectual property, reinvigorating supply chains and positioning our country as a global leader in innovative nuclear technologies.
The application window for the £120million Future Nuclear Enabling Fund opened on the 2nd of September. This fund will provide targeted support to potential new and advanced nuclear projects seeking to enter the UK nuclear market and will be open to all nuclear fission technologies.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish a breakdown of every (a) company and (b) region of the UK that works on the A400M programme; and if he will publish the proportion of work each (a) company and (b) region is responsible for in relation to that programme.
Answered by Alec Shelbrooke
The top-level supply chain in the UK for the A400M airframe, engine and support arrangements is as follows:
• Airbus Defence and Space - Filton, Bristol; RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire.
• GKN Aerospace - Filton, Bristol.
• Rolls Royce - Filton, Bristol.
• SAFRAN Landing Systems - Gloucester, Gloucestershire.
• Thales - Crawley, West Sussex.
The UK content of the aircraft is approximately 18% across the airframe and engine.
The supply chain for the A400M is managed by the prime contractor, Airbus Defence and Space and accordingly, the Ministry of Defence does not hold comprehensive information on lower tier suppliers or the proportion of work allocated to each company and region.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that a 6th generation air system replacement for the Typhoon aircraft is (a) designed and (b) manufactured in the UK.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The Integrated Review confirmed our intent to develop a Future Combat Air System (FCAS) as a replacement for the capability provided by our Typhoon fast-jets. The 2018 Combat Air Strategy and 2021 Defence and Security Industrial Strategy both outline the importance of sustaining national defence industrial capability.
In the summer of 2021, we awarded the national contract, initially worth £250 million, for concept and assessment work under the FCAS Acquisition Programme. This was awarded to BAE Systems, Leonardo, MBDA and Rolls-Royce (Team Tempest), with flow through to the wider national supply chain. The Concept & Assessment Phase will define the capability we require and invest in the skills and infrastructure needed to deliver it. Our Team Tempest partners now have 2,500 people working on FCAS across the UK, with many more in the supply chain, and this number is growing. Under the Acquisition Programme, £1 billion has already been invested in UK Research & Development through the FCAS Technology Initiative, with a further £1 billion set to be invested over the coming years. This is laying the groundwork for the programme's later stages, with the aim of delivering FCAS in a shorter timeframe than previous programmes.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to deliver new and advanced nuclear power in the UK.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government intends to take one project to Final Investment Decision (FID) this Parliament and two projects in the next Parliament, subject to necessary approvals.
The Government will set up a new flagship body - ‘Great British Nuclear’ - to develop a resilient pipeline of projects. The Government appointed Simon Bowen to lead and help develop government proposals for this body.
On the 2nd of September 2022, the Government launched the bid window for the £120 million Future Nuclear Enabling Fund. This fund will provide targeted support to potential new and advanced nuclear projects seeking to enter the UK nuclear market.
This is additional to £210m for Rolls-Royce SMR which will be matched by industry.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the announcement on 9 November 2021 that the Government would invest £210 million to develop small modular reactors in the UK, what recent assessment he has made of (a) the likely overall impact of that investment and (b) the progress that has been made in achieving that end up to 5 September 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Advanced Nuclear Fund includes up to £210 million announced in November 2021 for Rolls-Royce SMR to develop the design for one of the world’s first Small Modular Reactors, potentially capable of deployment in the UK in the early 2030s. This has already leveraged £280m of private sector investment to support the project and wider activities.
The project has completed significant engineering milestones, and the key objective of completing Step 2 of the Generic Design Assessment by Spring 2025 remains achievable – a view shared by the Infrastructure & Projects Authority in their July 2022 report.