Job cuts threaten Nuclear AMRC site - MP

The Nuclear AMRC opened in 2011 on the University of Sheffield site at Catcliffe in South Yorkshire

Proposed job cuts at a nuclear research centre run by the University of Sheffield could mean the site will close, an MP has warned.

The university has issued redundancy notices for staff amid a shake-up of the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC), with about 100 specialist engineering jobs at risk.

The university said it had started a 90-day consultation period to look at proposals and explore future options.

Clive Betts, the Labour MP for Sheffield South East, said he was concerned the site itself could go.

However, the university said core manufacturing research and development activities would remain.

Mr Betts said: “The university needs to urgently reconsider its decision as it not only leads to the loss of 100 highly skilled jobs, it also damages the UK’s research capability in this area."

He said he would ask Energy Secretary Ed Miliband "to intervene and assist as much public funding has been spent on the centre".

"Renewables, particularly onshore wind, has been flagged up as a significant contributor to [net zero targets]," he said.

"But we also know nuclear has got to be there as the baseload for any electricity system that is less carbon intensive."

'Significant opportunities'

Professor Koen Lamberts, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Sheffield, said the Nuclear AMRC's structure needed to be changed so priorities around clean energy research and innovation could be delivered.

“The plans propose that the Nuclear AMRC’s core manufacturing research and development activities will be retained by the University of Sheffield," he said.

“The proposed changes reflect the university’s key strength in nuclear manufacturing R&D.

"Our work to support the design and production of small module reactors (SMRs) will continue to grow and offer significant opportunities for the South Yorkshire region.”

The Nuclear AMRC, founded in 2011, helps UK companies win work in the nuclear sector through research and innovation.

Its website said it works across "nuclear new-build, operations, decommissioning and technology development, and in other high-value low-carbon manufacturing industries".

The university said it was working hard to reduce the need for redundancies and was supporting staff through changes.

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