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The UK/Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities have today received a reply from Rolls-Royce as to just how big their proposed ‘Small’ Modular Reactor will be.
During last year’s World Cup, the NFLA’s then Chair, Councillor David Blackburn, wrote to Tom Samson, Chief Executive Officer at Rolls-Royce, to point out the general state of confusion amongst nuclear activists, pro- and anti-, alike, with media reports claiming that an SMR would occupy a surface area amounting to between ‘one and a half and ten football pitches’ and asking for clarification.
Now Dan Gould, Head of Communications at Rolls-Royce SMR, has provided a final score – 5.3 acres – an area ‘incorporating the entirety of the SMR unit’.
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For more information please contact: Richard Outram, Secretary, NFLA email Richard.outram@manchester.gov.uk / mobile 07583 097793
Mr Tom Samson,
Chief Executive,
Rolls-Royce SMR
Cc Mr Dan Gould
Head of Communications
Monday 5 December 2022
Dear Mr Samson,
Talking football pitches and SMRs
Whilst the World Cup action on the pitch in Qatar is the current focus of many millions of fans of ‘the beautiful game’, I am writing to you as Chair of the UK/Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities to seek an answer to a football-related question much nearer to home that relates to the business of Rolls-Royce SMRs.
Rolls-Royce SMR has made several recent announcements to site SMRs on various sites in the future, and these announcements have frequently been reported in the media. However, although the intended power output is clear, 470 MW, different media outlets have reported the SMR as occupying a surface area amounting to between ‘one and a half’ and ‘ten’ football pitches.
Football’s world governing body, FIFA, has set international standards for the dimensions of playing pitches based on metres, but even these are at variance. The length of a pitch can be between 90 metres and 120 metres from goal line to goal line and the width between 45 metres and 90 metres. Given the difference can we please agree to use Wembley Stadium with a playing pitch of 105 metres by 68 metres, as a reference point?
I would be very grateful if you could please advise how many ‘Wembley’s’ the SMR, whether the reactor building alone or the entire facility, would occupy as this clarification would be tremendously helpful? Many thanks.
Please direct any response to NFLA Secretary, Richard Outram, at richard.outram@manchester.gov.uk . Thank you.
Councillor David Blackburn,
Chair of the UK/Ireland NFLA Steering Committee
The response received by email from Mr Dan Gould, Head of Communications Rolls-Royce SMR, on 16 February 2023
David,
Thank you for your enquiry. Explaining the size of a Rolls-Royce SMR site in square metres or acres can be arbitrary and hard to visualise, so we used ‘football pitches’ to broadly illustrate the size of main parts of the plant.
As you say, there is some variation in the size of pitches, and we do not intend for the ‘number of football pitches’ to be an exact description of the size of the site – rather to assist in a comparison to larger nuclear power stations using something that is commonly understood as a reference.
There may be some variation on the layout of the site depending on the specific constraints of the location, however, I have listed the measurements for the key aspect of the site:
Rolls-Royce SMR Shell Roof: 215m x 100m = 21,500m2 or 5.3 acres – incorporating the entirety of the SMR unit.
The requirement of the location, layout etc will mean there will aspects of the site that are positioned outside the SMR shell roof area, such as the berm (raised land around the station).
Detail of each site location will form part of the individual planning process and will include extensive stakeholder engagement when we reach that stage.
I hope that is useful.
Regards, Dan Gould
Head of Communications Rolls-Royce SMR
