London Gateway feels the pressure as throughput soars
The departure of Maersk from Felixstowe, combined with the choice of London Gateway as the ...
An artist's impression of the PWR20 nuclear microreactor (Photo: Last Energy)
US nuclear technology firm Last Energy has confirmed that it has signed an MoU with DP World to build a “micro-nuclear reactor” at the port operator’s London Gateway facility.
Costing £80m, the PWR20 microreactor will be able to supply 20MWe to the port, rail terminal and adjacent logistics park and “with additional capacity exported to the grid”, the firm said.
“Aiming to begin operations in 2030, the microreactor would help meet growing demand for electricity from London Gateway’s expansion while increasing grid reliability and national energy security,” it added.
DP World recently launch the $1bn final phase of London Gateway’s development – the construction of berths five and six and a second rail terminal, which are both designed to be all-electric.
Michael Jenner, CEO of Last Energy UK. “By bringing resilient nuclear energy infrastructure to DP World at London Gateway, one of the UK’s most strategically located ports and logistics hubs, we are enabling new opportunities for industrial growth and international trade.”
The PWR20 is a modular design and can be fabricated, assembled and commissioned in around two years, and Last Energy said it currently has permission to build 80 similar installations around Europe.
Four are currently being developed at an old coal power plant site in Bridgend, Wales, and with a Preliminary Design Review secured from the Office of Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency in June, Last Energy claimed a “site licence decision by December 2027 is achievable”.
It also explained that financing for the Bridgend project was being supported by a $103.7m structured loan from the US Export-Import Bank, and said this week that the £80m cost of the London Gateway project would be a “subsidy-free investment”.
“The UK and US are world-leaders in nuclear technology – as demonstrated by plans for one of the world’s first micro nuclear power plants aiming to supply dedicated power for major port operations,” UK energy secretary Ed Miliband said.
“Unlocking this could support growth in Corringham with DP World’s £1bn expansion of London Gateway,” he added.
Interestingly, the deal will give DP World in the UK, and by extension the Thames Freeport in which it sits, a similar degree of energy independence that Felixstowe, and by extension the East Port Freeport, currently enjoys through its owner Hutchison whose parent company, Hong Kong’s CK Group, also happens to own UK Power Networks, one of the country’s chief electricity distributors, mainly to London, the south-east and East Anglia.
Comment on this article