Sheffield Forgemasters has gained more than £2 million of funding from the Government to boost its nuclear-power capabilities. The money — from the Technology Strategy Board, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council — will be used on two projects.

Just over £1 million will go towards a project (with TWI and the University of Sheffield) to produce reactor coolant pumps. The rest of the money will go towards a project (with Rolls-Royce, Mermec UK and the university) to develop a full-scale, forged component for the primary loop of a civil nuclear-power plant.

Forgemasters chief executive Graham Honeyman said: “We continue to invest significant time and money in pushing the boundaries of casting and forging technology here at Sheffield Forgemasters, and we are crucial in placing the UK at the forefront of development in this sector. Our techniques have not been achieved by any other civil nuclear engineering companies.”