Question: How long does it take to build a mini nuclear power plant?

Sarah Hargreaves answered on 10 Mar 2016:

Great question! It takes a lot longer to design the mini nuclear plant than it does to actually build it.

To design the nuclear power plant it can take over 8 years in total, this is because it is a very complex, with lots of different systems which all have to work together. This means that one change to a system to make it better could actually make another system worse, so the design is all about compromising to make sure we have the best nuclear power plant we can. As part of designing the nuclear power plant, lots and lots of reports have to be written so that we can show that the plant will work and that it will be safe. This is where my job comes in, I have to check these reports to make sure that the calculations are right and that we have designed it so that it will not harm the submariners.

Once all the design is approved it actually only takes 4 years to make and build the power plant. This is then slotted into the submarine itself at BAE Systems in Barrow-in-Furness. There’s a really good programme on how the submarines are built on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ODDjsK0BOg