Rolls-Royce says it welcomes the announcement by the Australian government that it will be investing in its ongoing AUKUS preparations, and thereby supplement the expansion funding already committed by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD); and to meet the growth in demand from the Royal Navy, which includes AUKUS delivery commitments, work is already underway to double the size of the Rolls-Royce Submarines site in Raynesway, Derby.

Now jointly funded by UK MoD and the Australian Department of Defence, the expansion work (announced last summer) will create over 1,000 new jobs in Derby; these will not only be throughout a range of disciplines, including manufacturing and engineering, but will also see new manufacturing and office facilities being built on recently acquired land surrounding the existing Raynesway site.
In March 2023 it was confirmed that Rolls-Royce Submarines would provide all the nuclear reactor plants that will power new attack submarines as part of the tri-lateral agreement between Australia, the UK, and the USA.

Steve Carlier, Rolls-Royce Submarines’ president, said: “Last year, we were proud to welcome the Hon Richard Marles MP, Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, and UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps to our Raynesway site to showcase some of the world-class manufacturing and engineering capabilities we have developed over the last 60 years. This commitment of funding to our existing expansion work shows the trust Australia places on our nuclear expertise and our ability to deliver. We look forward to working with the Australian Submarine Agency to support them in building their own fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.”

To support preparation for AUKUS and to meet the additional commitments to the MoD, Rolls-Royce recently announced the opening of two satellite offices in Glasgow and Cardiff, creating more than 100 jobs in each city; and to further ensure a steady pipeline of future talent into the industry, Rolls-Royce opened a new Nuclear Skills Academy in Derby in 2022. It will provide 200 apprenticeships each year for at least the next decade.

Rolls-Royce Submarines currently employs more than 4,000 people and designs, manufactures, and provides in-service support to the pressurised water reactors that power every boat in the Royal Navy’s submarine fleet. The company is currently supporting the existing Astute and Dreadnought boat-build programmes through the delivery of reactor plant and associated components. It also provides frontline support throughout the world for reactor plant equipment from its Operations Centre in Derby –– and supports the submarines when in the Barrow-in-Furness shipyard and the naval bases at Devonport and Faslane.