Rolls-Royce selects design partner for major Derby site expansion work

Homeland January 23, 2025

Rolls-Royce Submarines has announced the joint appointment of AtkinsRéalis and Mott MacDonald as its new fissile design partners – a key milestone in the expansion of its Raynesway site.

Both AtkinsRéalis and Mott MacDonald are globally renowned engineering and development consultancies that bring with them a wealth of experience working on major, complex and high-profile projects.

In June 2023, it was announced that Rolls-Royce is planning to double the size of its Submarines site in Derby to meet the growth in demand from the Royal Navy, and as a result of last year’s AUKUS announcement.

This increase in demand will see new manufacturing and office facilities being built and will create 1,170 skilled roles across a range of disciplines, including manufacturing and engineering.

As the work will take place within the nuclear licensed site at Raynesway, the design and construction of fissile facilities adds a level of complexity and rigour above and beyond that of traditional builds. Working as the PROPEL joint venture, it will be AtkinsRéalis and Mott MacDonald’s role to design these new facilities and work with the incoming fissile construction partner to deliver them.

Rolls-Royce Submarines Infrastructure Director Terry Meighan said: “The expansion work we have planned is of critical national importance as it enables us to safely increase our speed of manufacture, helping to deliver Dreadnought and the new SSN-AUKUS attack submarines at a much faster rate.

“The experience and deep nuclear knowledge, as well as the strong safety ethic, evidenced by the combined AtkinsRéalis and Mott MacDonald team means the design of our crucial new fissile facilities is in capable hands.”

Andy Smart, Head of Major Projects – Nuclear, AtkinsRéalis, said: “These new facilities will be vital to deliver new submarines safely, swiftly and efficiently and we’re delighted to be appointed alongside Mott MacDonald to progress these plans at pace.

“This critical project requires expertise and skillsets across nuclear fuel management, defence and complex infrastructure programmes. Collectively, we’ll use our experience across these disciplines to support Rolls-Royce Submarines in the successful delivery of this programme.”

Jeremy Reed, Global Practice Leader – Nuclear, Mott MacDonald said: “Mott MacDonald brings over 60 years of experience delivering complex technical solutions in highly regulated, secure, and safety-critical nuclear environments. Combined with our commitment to excellence, safety, and sustainability, this experience, along with that of our partner AtkinsRéalis, will play a key role in supporting Rolls-Royce Submarines to deliver the successful expansion of the Derby site, continuing our longstanding commitment to support the UK submarine enterprise.”

The next milestone in Rolls-Royce’s ten-year expansion programme is to select the fissile construction partner, who will bring AtkinsRéalis and Mott MacDonald’s designs to life. They will be tasked with building the nuclear manufacturing facilities, with the winning firm being announced in the coming weeks.

Rolls-Royce Submarines currently employs more than 5,000 people and designs, manufactures and provides in-service support to the pressurised water reactors that power every boat in the Royal Navy’s submarine fleet.

Rolls-Royce is currently supporting the existing Astute and Dreadnought boat build programmes through the delivery of reactor plant and associated components.

It also provides frontline support across the world for reactor plant equipment from its Operations Centre in Derby and supports the submarines when in the Barrow-in-Furness shipyard and the naval bases at Devonport and Faslane. In addition, there are technical specialists working in offices in Glasgow and Cardiff, with a unique test facility operating in Thurso, Scotland.

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Image courtesy Rolls-Royce

AtkinsRealis Mott MacDonals Rolls-Royce submarine