Update on Rolls Royce SMR factory proposed for Scotch Corner

In 2022, the business shortlisted a site at Scotch Corner, next to the A1(M), to bring a new manufacturing site for its Small Modular Reactor (SMR) programme.

When it was first announced, it was expected that the factory would invest £200m into the region and bring about 300 jobs to the area.

A Rolls Royce SMR concept (Image: ROLLS ROYCE SMR) But doubts were cast at the end of September this year after the firm said it was "exploring other channels" for factories and manufacturing options.

At the time, a spokesperson for Rolls Royce SMR, which is separate from the car brand, highlighted that the "criteria had changed" and that building a factory at Scotch Corner right now wouldn't be in its interest.

The spokesperson added: "We've had a couple of governments since the initial announcement about Scotch Corner, and the pace needed to progress has been curtailed somewhat."

A map overview of the 'Scotch Corner development manufacturing site' (Image: SCOTCH CORNER DEVELOPMENT) However, two months on from those comments, in an updated statement, a Rolls-Royce SMR spokesperson said: "Work is underway to match available sites with the criteria to host the Rolls-Royce SMR manufacturing facility.

“This facility will produce components for Rolls-Royce SMR’s factory-built power station and will sustain high-quality, long-term jobs with potential for hundreds more in the local supply chain.”

While the statement didn't directly mention Scotch Corner, it did say that it could "return to the plans in the future".

This proposed factory building forms part of the wider Scotch Corner Development, which is expected to bring a TV and film production facility, as well as the Scotch Corner Designer Village and Garden Centre.

However, delays in the building work for the Designer Village, which will feature top brand names like Levi's, Calvin Klein, and Adidas, have currently pushed back the opening date of the first phase to March 2026.