£15bn AWE Aldermaston Rebuild Plans Unveiled

A mega, hi-tech £15bn rebuild of AWE in Aldermaston is set to be submitted to West Berkshire Council. It also marks the organisation's plans to make Aldermaston AWE's main operation.

"We have already closed our component factory at AWE Cardiff and have withdrawn from our range facility at AWE Foulness," said an AWE information leaflet.

"We have a long-term intention to reduce our land holdings further by concentrating all of our operations at AWE Aldermaston, if this proves to be feasible."

The authority must give planning permission for the new complex, which effectively rebuilds the nuclear bomb factory. Tender bids for the construction are already out and top-tier civil engineering and defence contractors are competing, though shortlists are withheld under the Procurement Act, according to the Government procurement service.

The main development is the multi-billion-pound Future Materials Campus (FMC), a long-term programme to replace ageing 1950s-1970s facilities and to support the UK's next-generation Astraea warhead programme.

The investment secures around 9,000 jobs at AWE Aldermaston and more than 1,500 new jobs were created in the preceding year.

"We first had to consider the operational demands that will be placed upon AWE plc in the 21st century," said AWE.

"Our mission is to provide the warheads for the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent.

"We are, in fact, responsible for the whole life cycle of warheads, from initial research and design, manufacturing and in-service support, through to final disposal."

The site will also boost scientific analysis and improve nuclear material recovery and waste reduction.

An outline planning application is expected to be submitted to West Berkshire Council in late 2026.

AWE Aldermaston runs hydrodynamics experiments where weapon mock-ups and small amounts of fissile material are subjected to explosive shocks. The experiments are 'photographed' by giant x-ray machines and analysed with diagnostic equipment.

Plans include a new Hydrodynamics Research Facility with greatly improved diagnostics. "It will enable us not only to continue to certify the performance and safety of the nuclear stockpile but will also maintain our world leader status in this important field of science," said AWE. "It is planned to submit a Notice of Proposed Development for this facility to the West Berkshire Council Planning Authority in due course."

A 10-year framework worth up to £900m is also planned for non-nuclear and supporting infrastructure, including new office space, advanced manufacturing, testing laboratories and site-wide services.

After the Ministry of Defence acquired the adjacent 139-acre Aldermaston Park, AWE is integrating the historic site while developing long-term perimeter and community access plans. The site has more than 1,200 buildings, over half built before 1960, and work must manage on-site listed buildings.

The programme is set to span a decade of construction and peak works are expected to create significant transport and logistical activity along local routes such as the A340 corridor.

AWE Aldermaston has been the Atomic Weapons Establishment's headquarters for more than 50 years and continues to play a vital role in national defence.

A leaflet sent round the neighbourhood said: "At the same time, we want to improve the appearance of AWE Aldermaston from its existing industrial factory image to that of a science and technology centre - one that is more fitting to our reputation for world-class science and technology and that will enable greater accessibility for the academic and business communities."

AWE Burghfield, seven miles north-east of Aldermaston, is a 280-acre former munitions factory where warheads are assembled, serviced and finally decommissioned. AWE Blacknest, in Brimpton, is a satellite of Aldermaston and a centre of seismic research and treaty verification; scientists there monitor earthquakes and underground explosions to support the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

Production includes manufacture of weapon components at Aldermaston, with components and sub-assemblies then transported to Burghfield for assembly into completed warheads. Burghfield is also responsible for servicing and refurbishing operational warheads and for decommissioning redundant warheads.

Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter