A UK site that was formerly one of the first civil nuclear power stations in the world has been sold for £6.5m (€7.6m, $8.4m) with the new owners planning to redevelop it as a “super cluster” for nuclear energy research, training and AI.
South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (SGS) first agreed to sell its 40-acre (16-hectare) science park in Berkeley, southwest England, to Chiltern Vital Berkeley in January.
The park was set up in 2016 when SGS bought the redundant Berkeley nuclear power station site for £3m from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, a public body responsible for cleaning up the UK’s legacy nuclear sites.
The college put the site up for sale in 2023, reportedly soon after a site visit from Great British Nuclear (GBN), the government body formed to oversee the deployment of new nuclear capacity in the UK.
Berkeley was previously home to two Magnox plants that began operation in 1962 and were shut down in 1988 and 1989. The site was saved from demolition in 2016, with its laboratory turned into a science and technology park by SGS.
The buyer, Chiltern Vital Berkeley, a wholly owned subsidiary of project development company Chiltern Vital Group, said it would seek to transform the site into the UK’s R&D centre of excellence for the next generation of small modular and micro reactor technology.
An onsite university technical college for around 400 students is not being sold as part of the agreement and will continue to operate, according to BBC News.
Today’s announcement follows the acquisition of a nearby site at Oldbury earlier this year by GBN which Chiltern Vital Group said would made its new Berkeley site well positioned to support the UK’s nuclear energy training needs.
Oldbury has two gas-cooled Magnox plants that were permanently shut down in 2011 and 2012.
Chris Turner, chief executive of Chiltern Vital Group, said: “I look forward to being involved in turning Berkeley/Oldbury into a low carbon supercluster over the next decade and supporting the positive impact that this project will have on the local, regional and national economy.”
SGS said the government would soon announce a technology provider to develop SMRs at the site.
New Nuclear ‘A Step Closer’
Chiltern Vital Group has already said it is supporting Rolls-Royce SMR in the selection of UK sites for the rollout of its SMRs and in the creation of long-term offtake agreements to support the financial viability of their deployment.
Chris Cholerton, Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce SMR, said: “Today’s announcement that CVG has completed the purchase of Berkeley Science and Technology Park brings the possibility of new nuclear at Berkeley a step closer.
“We continue to urge Great British Nuclear to complete their SMR selection process this year, which will unlock the immediate deployment of SMR units and the long-term opportunity at sites like Berkeley.”
The previous Conservative government announced in October 2023 that six companies’ designs for SMRs had been selected to progress in a government competition supporting the development of SMRs for greater energy security.
The government said at the time it hoped to announce in spring 2024 which of the six companies it will support, with contracts awarded by summer 2024.
That was before a July general election which saw a new Labour government take power.
The new UK Labour minister in charge of energy recently underlined his “absolute support” for the SMR programme.