The High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult has launched a nationwide consultation to help UK manufacturers capitalise on more than £100bn of planned investment in the country’s civil and defence nuclear programmes over the next decade.
The organisation is developing a ten-year Nuclear Manufacturing Strategy, which aims to strengthen domestic industrial capability, build more resilient supply chains and ensure UK manufacturers capture a greater share of one of the country’s largest industrial investment programmes in more than 50 years.
HVM Catapult said the scale of planned investment comes at a time of increasing geopolitical uncertainty, rising electricity demand and growing concerns over energy security, creating what it described as a narrowing window for the UK to strengthen its position in the global nuclear manufacturing market.
Launching the consultation at TWI’s WeldJoinExpo 2026 conference, Katherine Bennett CBE, chief executive of HVM Catapult, said the opportunity extends far beyond the construction of new nuclear power stations.
“Nuclear is both fundamental to the UK’s future energy security and one of the biggest industrial opportunities this country has seen in decades,” Bennett said.
“It is a once in a generation moment to build a globally competitive manufacturing ecosystem that supports clean energy, strengthens defence, creates high-value jobs and delivers long-term economic prosperity across the country.
“Much of the capability needed to support the next generation of nuclear technologies already exists within UK manufacturing. The challenge is identifying it, connecting it to opportunity and giving businesses the confidence to invest.
“No one organisation can achieve that alone. This consultation is an invitation to government, industry and academia to help shape the future together.”
According to HVM Catapult, the investment pipeline could support between 15,000 and 23,000 additional skilled jobs, strengthen 300 to 500 nuclear-capable businesses and unlock up to £9bn of investment in manufacturing capability, while positioning UK companies to compete for export opportunities in the rapidly expanding global nuclear market.
The consultation will begin at the National Nuclear Manufacturing Conference, taking place at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) on 9 July, before a programme of regional engagement events with manufacturers, SMEs, policymakers and academic institutions throughout 2026.
The feedback will inform HVM Catapult’s long-term strategy and wider discussions on strengthening sovereign manufacturing capability, improving energy security and increasing the proportion of future nuclear investment retained within UK supply chains.
Professor Ben Morgan, chief executive of the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), said emerging nuclear technologies would increasingly rely on modern manufacturing techniques.
“Future programmes based around small modular reactors (SMRs), advanced modular reactors (AMRs) and micro modular reactors (MMRs) will increasingly rely on modular, factory-based manufacturing, advanced digital engineering and repeatable production rather than the bespoke construction methods of previous generations,” he said.
“Combined with the UK’s unique combination of growing civil and defence nuclear programmes, this creates an opportunity to strengthen domestic capability through shared skills, infrastructure, technologies and supply chains, helping improve productivity, reinforce national resilience and support long-term energy security.”
Industry, government, academia and regional partners are being invited to contribute to the consultation through written submissions, stakeholder workshops and regional engagement events running throughout 2026.
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