Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS) has secured government funding to lead on the development of a new transport package which will support a new generation of nuclear reactors.

NTS’s team of highly skilled engineers are drawing on years of experience and expertise to design the new transport package for the innovative form of fuel, which will be used in new nuclear developments including Small Modular Reactors (SMR).

The fuel – High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) – is more energy dense and requires less fuel than current nuclear power production.

HALEU requires innovative transportation solutions to ensure it can be moved safely and securely to new reactors and, when operational, will generate carbon-free electricity across the UK.

The new package will be versatile to allow NTS to transport HALEU in multiple forms, such as powder or fuel elements.

Seth Kybird, NTS’s CEO, said: “We’re thrilled with this announcement from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. It’s a really exciting time to be in our industry and I’m proud of the part NTS is playing to provide the nuclear market with safe, secure and reliable transport solutions.

“We have the skills and experience to design a package which is safe, secure and efficient – delivering the best possible value for UK taxpayers.

“The design proposal is already under way and this new funding will help us move from concept to preliminary design and manufacturing guidance stage.”

Over £1 million has been awarded to NTS via the Nuclear Fuel Fund to drive the development of the project over a two-year period.

The Nuclear Fuel Fund, a pot of £22.3m funding, is intended to provide greater options for UK nuclear operators to use UK-produced fuel, as the country seeks to diversify its uranium and nuclear fuel production capacity away from Russia.

NTS’s funding will allow its team of experts to consider all aspects of the package design – radiological shielding, criticality, licencing, and meet all international standards and regulations.

Part of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), NTS is a global leader in providing safe, secure and reliable nuclear transport solutions, and one of the few companies in the world that can provide the comprehensive range of services required for this area of expertise.