Rolls-Royce Expands Nuclear Operations With US Buyout

Posted by NucNet on 8 January 2013 in NucNet

Rolls-Royce Holdings is expanding its nuclear energy operations with the purchase for an undisclosed sum of US engineering company PKMJ Technical Services.

The acquisition aims to accelerate growth in nuclear services, London-based Rolls-Royce said in a statement today.

Rolls-Royce already has nuclear services facilities in Williamson, New York state, and Peterborough, in Canada, and a nuclear instrumentation and control facility based in Chattanooga, Tenessee. Last year Rolls-Royce acquired R Brooks Associates, a leading specialist civil nuclear reactor services business in the US.

The company also announced last year a collaboration with Hitachi to work on new nuclear reactors in the UK. In September 2011, Rolls-Royce signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation covering nuclear energy with Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom.

Rolls-Royce, Europe’s largest maker of commercial aircraft engines, has been working to bolster its non-aerospace activities in both renewable and nuclear energy.

Lawrie Haynes, the company’s president for nuclear, said its investment in PKMJ represents “another significant step towards growing our global civil nuclear business”.

He said PKMJ supports every nuclear utility in the US and Canada with “an impressive portfolio” of services and solutions.

Rolls-Royce said it supports a number of key phases of the nuclear programme, including providing advice to governments and operators, supply chain management, and manufacturing and technical engineering support.

The group’s nuclear services activity represents more than half of its civil nuclear business and includes support to operational reactors in 20 countries across Europe, North America and Asia.