Sheffield Forgemasters International Ltd. is considering whether it should revive a plan cancelled last summer to invest in a 15,000-metric-ton forging press to produce ultra-large components for the global nuclear power market.

U.K.-based Sheffield Forgemasters International Ltd. (SFIL) is considering whether it should revive a plan cancelled last summer to invest in a 15,000-metric-ton forging press to produce ultra-large components for the global nuclear power market. The project was dropped last year when expected government financing – in the form of a $119 million loan – did not materialize. However, the present coalition government’s Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has agreed to reconsider the loan if the company can still verify the project’s financial viability.

SFIL is the only U.K. company with ASME certification to manufacture civil nuclear castings and forgings. The proposed new press would join its 10,000-metric-ton press, which is limited to supplying smaller components for the emerging class of larger reactors. The demand for heavy nuclear forgings is expected to more than triple by 2020.