Frazer-Nash has been awarded a role on the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA’s) STEP Manufacture Support Services Framework.
The framework has been set up to help UKAEA access a range of design for manufacturing and advanced engineering skills, which will contribute to the concept development of the STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) programme. This programme will support UKAEA to achieve its goal to develop fusion as a new source of safe, efficient and low-carbon energy for future power stations.
The Frazer-Nash consortium brings together a number of organisations renowned for their expertise in nuclear and manufacturing, who will work together to offer a wide spectrum of support to the UK’s prestigious fusion programme. The consortium includes Cavendish Nuclear, IDOM, The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), Sheffield Forgemasters, the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), and The Welding Institute (TWI); with additional specialist support being provided by Goodwin International Ltd, Kinectrics, Sigmaphi, ENSA, Tokamak Energy Ltd, Lucideon, and Antec Magnets.
Frazer-Nash’s Fusion Business Manager, Steven Lawler, said:
“This manufacturing support services framework gives us further opportunity to proudly support the UK’s fusion endeavour, by providing our expertise and capabilities in the manufacturing domain to help the UKAEA with its manufacture and design engineering challenges.
“Our collaborative approach will give the UKAEA STEP design teams’ access to an amazing breadth and depth of manufacturing experience and know-how, offering invaluable skills and strengths to help the UKAEA deliver on its nationally strategic programme.
“This collaborative approach, which we have successfully adopted on previous framework wins, draws upon a broad spectrum of organisations across the UK and the international supply chain. We are very much looking forward to working with our delivery partners and supporting organisations to ensure the UKAEA achieves its clean energy goals.”
Alongside the Manufacturing Support Services agreement, the UKAEA has also recently announced a four-year Engineering Embedded Resource Framework.
Paula Barham, UKAEA Head of Procurement, said: “Signing these [two] major framework agreements is a big boost for UKAEA and our partners.
“Joining forces with such world-class organisations brings exciting opportunities for us to team-up with a wide range of experts, with this type of collaboration vital to UKAEA succeeding and positioning the UK as a leader in sustainable fusion energy.”
