Balfour Beatty has won the contract by Rolls-Royce as its construction partner for the expansion of the Raynesway site. This development is a response to the increasing demand from the Royal Navy and the strategic AUKUS announcement made last year.
Rolls-Royce’s Expansion
In June last year, Rolls-Royce revealed plans to double the size of its Submarines site in Derby. This expansion is essential to meet the growing requirements of the Royal Navy and align with the AUKUS partnership involving Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The AUKUS agreement aims to enhance security and defence cooperation among these nations, with a significant focus on submarine capabilities.
Earlier this year, Australia committed £2.4 billion over ten years to the UK SSN-AUKUS programme. This funding will support the enhancement of Rolls-Royce Submarines infrastructure and contribute to the costs associated with submarine design. This substantial investment underscores the importance of international collaboration in advancing defence technology and infrastructure.
Balfour Beatty’s Role
Balfour Beatty’s involvement in this project will undertake the construction of new manufacturing and office facilities, as well as the development of the adjoining site infrastructure. This significant increase in workload from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will create approximately 1,170 skilled roles at Rolls-Royce. These roles will span various disciplines, including manufacturing and engineering, providing a substantial boost to the local economy and the UK’s defence capabilities.
Leo Quinn, Balfour Beatty’s Group Chief Executive, expressed his enthusiasm about the project, stating:
“Today’s announcement marks an important step forward in ensuring Rolls-Royce has the infrastructure in place to support the strategic requirements of the MOD and the AUKUS programmes.”
He added:
“I’m delighted Balfour Beatty has been chosen to support this critical work for a project that will see us unite our unique multi-disciplinary expertise and experience in delivering large scale complex projects within live, operational nuclear environments.”
Terry Meighan, Rolls-Royce Submarines Infrastructure Director, emphasised the importance of collaboration in meeting their commitments:
“We cannot deliver against our commitments to the MOD and the AUKUS programme on our own. It will require a strong and reliable supply chain bringing their expertise to enhance and enable the critical work we do. The selection of Balfour Beatty as our expansion construction partner is a prime example of that.”
He further noted:
“Their experience in delivering major infrastructure, as well as their long history of complex project delivery in secure environments, were important factors in our decision. This is an exciting milestone as we grow our site and our business to meet the enhanced demand for our expertise.”
The collaboration between the two companies follows the selection of leading multi-disciplinary professional services consultancy WSP as the design partner. Balfour Beatty and WSP will work closely over the next decade to bring the Raynesway site expansion plans to completion.
Rolls-Royce continues to support the Astute and Dreadnought submarine programmes delivering the reactor plant and associated components. Additionally, Rolls-Royce provides frontline support for reactor plant equipment globally from its Operations Centre in Derby and supports submarines at various locations, including the Barrow-in-Furness shipyard and naval bases at Devonport and Faslane.
Custom Labels have enjoyed a long partnership with the two compainies supplying a range of labelling solutions over the years. More recently we supplied Balfour Beatty with our ultra durable UltraTuff asset tag. The asset tag intended for use in the HPC nuclear power facilities in Somerset offers increased resistance to abrasions, chemicals and general abuse and will even perform well outdoors.
The tag is available in either silver metallised or white polyester with a hard textured, heavy-duty polycarbonate top layer that protects your bar codes or graphics, whilst the high-performance 3M adhesive provides a long-term bond once cured. The tag perfectly matches the harsh nuclear environment where it will last for years once applied.
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