Rolls-Royce SMR and Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) have signed a contract that enables work to start immediately on the delivery of three Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) at Wylfa, on the coast of Ynys Môn (Anglesey) in North Wales.
In November 2025, the UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, announced that Wylfa will host the UK’s first SMRs. This latest agreement allows work to start on-site, through a firm contract allowing Rolls-Royce SMR to develop its site-specific design and order critical components from the supply chain. It also gives the certainty required to ramp up its recruitment programme in order to execute this work and successfully deliver the initial three units.
This announcement brings certainty to the UK SMR programme and differentiates our business as the only SMR company with multiple commitments in Europe – an initial three units at Wylfa and up to six units in Czechia.
Chris Cholerton, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce SMR
Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce SMR Chief Executive, said: “This contract unlocks the delivery of our first three units at Wylfa and is a tangible example of the government’s ‘golden age’ of new nuclear being delivered successfully with British technology.”
“This brings certainty to the UK SMR programme and differentiates our business as the only SMR company with multiple commitments in Europe – an initial three units at Wylfa and up to six units in Czechia.”
“We are transforming the way nuclear projects are delivered, to give greater cost and schedule certainty with a standardised, factory-built approach. This project is important to the UK’s energy security and will power up our business and the UK supply chain.”
Rolls-Royce SMR and its supply chain partners will create 3,000 jobs local to the Wylfa site and an additional 5,000 jobs nationally – placing the UK at the forefront of this transformational opportunity.
We are backing a British company to deliver our first small modular reactors – creating a generation of good jobs, driving growth and providing clean, homegrown power for decades to come.
The Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, said: “This investment, along with vital financing from the National Wealth Fund, will strengthen our energy security, create skilled jobs and help to build a new generation of homegrown nuclear technology that will power our economy for decades to come.”
“We have the right economic plan – one where growth and clean energy go hand-in-hand – and one that will benefit everyone across the country.”
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, The Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, said: “At a time of global instability, this is a major milestone for Britain’s energy security.”
“We are backing a British company to deliver our first small modular reactors – creating a generation of good jobs, driving growth and providing clean, homegrown power for decades to come. ”
“Our clean energy mission is the only route to getting off the rollercoaster of fossil fuels and take back control of our energy independence.”
Simon Roddy, CEO of Great British Energy – Nuclear, said: “This agreement is a landmark moment for the nuclear industry. Working with Rolls-Royce SMR, we’re bringing a significant long-term investment to the UK industrial supply chain.”
“Supporting skills, innovation and growing our industrial capability is essential to this partnership, and will ensure the UK is well placed to deliver the next generation of nuclear infrastructure.”
As the technology selected through the GBE-N procurement process, Rolls-Royce SMR was able to apply for a loan on commercial terms that will be provided by the National Wealth Fund. That application was successful, with a facility of up to £599m available to support the finalisation of the generic design of the Rolls-Royce SMR.
National Wealth Fund CEO, Oliver Holbourn, added: “Today’s announcement marks a significant moment for the future of our nuclear industry. The development of Rolls Royce-SMR’s technology here in the UK will create thousands of jobs and pave the way for an affordable, cleaner, and more secure energy system. This is exactly what the National Wealth Fund has been established to deliver, backing promising homegrown projects and technologies that will deliver transformational impacts.”
SMRs represent a significant industrial opportunity for the UK, with the potential to create thousands of skilled jobs, drive regional growth and strengthen domestic supply chains.
Gareth Stace, Director-General of UK Steel
Rolls-Royce SMR is transforming the way nuclear projects are delivered using proven nuclear technology, modularisation and a ‘factory-built’ approach – reducing delays and minimising the impact on local people and the environment. Each Rolls-Royce SMR power plant will generate enough stable low-carbon electricity to power a million homes for 60+ years.
The announcement will also have a significant knock-on impact across the supply chain and, as such, has been meet with positivity from the steel sector with Gareth Stace, Director-General of UK Steel, adding: “We welcome today’s announcement of the contract between Great British Energy and Rolls-Royce as a major step forward for the UK’s clean energy ambitions and long-term energy security.
“SMRs represent a significant industrial opportunity for the UK, with the potential to create thousands of skilled jobs, drive regional growth and strengthen domestic supply chains. It is essential that the UK steel industry is fully embedded in these projects from the outset. Steel will be fundamental to the construction and operation of SMRs, and ensuring strong domestic content is not just an economic opportunity, but a matter of national security and resilience.
“A reliable, domestic steel supply chain underpins our ability to deliver critical infrastructure, reduce reliance on imports and respond to an increasingly uncertain global environment. We therefore urge government and developers to work closely with UK steel producers to maximise domestic sourcing, build long-term capability and ensure that this new generation of nuclear projects delivers fully for British industry as well as for Britain’s energy needs.”
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