Overview
- Ministers confirmed Wylfa on Anglesey as the site for Britain’s first SMR plant, with three units planned initially and capacity for up to eight over time.
- Publicly owned Great British Energy‑Nuclear will run the project, with Rolls‑Royce SMR set to design the reactors subject to final contracts due this year.
- The government’s £2.5bn package covers design development and securing consents, with broader construction financing to be finalised with private backing.
- Officials estimate up to about 3,000 jobs at peak construction and hundreds of long‑term roles, with the station expected to supply power equivalent to around three million homes.
- The decision drew a public rebuke from the US ambassador, who preferred a US supplier and a larger reactor, as the UK pressed on with SMRs that carry first‑of‑a‑kind cost and schedule risks while GBE‑N scouts sites for a future large plant.