Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE‑N) has signed a contract with Rolls‑Royce SMR to begin technology design activities that will enable the delivery of the UK’s first small modular reactors (SMRs). The project is estimated to support around 3,000 jobs at peak construction and thousands more across the UK supply chain, strengthening national energy security and supporting long‑term economic growth for local communities. GBE-N has already awarded over £350m in contracts across the supply chain this year, including some of the UK’s leading companies.
Rolls-Royce SMR was selected as the preferred technology partner in June 2025, and £2.6bn ($3.5m) was allocated in the 2025 Spending Review to support this contract and wider programme delivery. GBE-N and Rolls-Royce SMR teams have since worked intensively to finalise the contract. It will require Rolls-Royce SMR to work with GBE-N to deliver against key milestones as it starts site-specific design, regulatory engagement, and planning processes, ahead of a future Final Investment Decision expected in 2029.
The contract enables work to start immediately on the delivery of three Rolls-Royce SMRs at Wylfa, on the coast of Ynys Môn (Anglesey) in North Wales. In November 2025, the UK Government selected the site to host the three Rolls-Royce SMR units with the potential to increase this to eight units. In 2015, Wylfa’s last reactor was closed down. There were plans for a replacement plant, but these were scrapped in 2021 and decommissioning began before new proposals came forward in 2024.
“This is an immense moment for the UK nuclear programme, our organisation, and the industry as a whole, said GBE-N Chairman Simon Bowen. “Today represents a true recognition of the efforts made across GBE-N, Rolls-Royce SMR and Government to get to this point, and I’m hugely proud of the team for reaching this critical milestone.”
Rolls-Royce SMR CEO Chris Cholerton noted: “This contract unlocks the delivery of our first three units and brings certainty to the UK SMR programme. With plans for up to six further units in Czechia, this announcement makes Rolls-Royce SMR the only company with multiple commitments in Europe.”
He added: “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, and we are excited by the opportunity and are focused on successful delivery.”
National Wealth Fund CEO, Oliver Holbourn, said the development and deployment 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.”
The National Wealth Fund is committing up to £599m to Rolls-Royce SMR to support the development of its SMRs. By supporting British nuclear technology, the Fund is playing a critical role in increasing investor confidence, enabling export and helping to crowd in additional private capital to fund the development of this new technology here in the UK.
