Work begins on nuclear power station that promises 8,000 jobs

Work has begun on a new nuclear power station that will bring 8,000 new jobs, the UK government has announced.

Ministers have chosen Wylfa on Anglesey as the site after signing a £2.5bn partnership with Rolls-Royce to build it last year.

The company claimed that the project will create 3,000 jobs local to the Wylfa site and an additional 5,000 jobs nationally.

Tom Greatrex, Nuclear Industry Association chief executive, said the move would pave the way for three small modular reactors – the UK's first – to be built at the site.

SMRs are manufactured in a factory in modules before being assembled on-site.

It is claimed the three units together will supply enough electricity to power the equivalent of around 3m homes for more than 60 years.

Greatrex called it "a historic step for clean power, industrial growth and skilled jobs in Wales", saying Wylfa was a "very special site with unique strengths".

"The sector stands ready to help make the country's first SMR fleet a success, putting Britain at the forefront of new nuclear development," he added.

The project is still subject to a final investment decision, which is expected by the turn of the decade, but after all planning and regulatory hurdles, it is hoped the SMRs will be on stream in the 2030s.

Wylfa operated as an nuclear power station on the Anglesey coast, north west Wales, for 44 years.

It was built in the 1960s and first began generating electricity in 1971, employing thousands of workers.

In 2015, Wylfa's last reactor was closed down and it began the long process of being decommissioned.

There were plans for a replacement plant before the old reactor shut but these were scrapped in 2021 before new proposals came forward in 2024.

Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce SMR chief executive, said the deal is an example of the UK government's "golden age of new nuclear being delivered successfully with British technology".

He added that the deal has brought "certainty" to the UK SMR programme after signing an early works agreement last year enabling the launch of site work in Czechia.

Greatrex said it was a "historic step" for clean power, industrial growth and skilled jobs in Wales.

"It marks the beginning of a significant and exciting new phase for the project and the people of Ynys Môn," he added.

Greatrex said the project will bring "significant investment" to the area and across Britain, securing the "UK's long-term supply of reliable, low-carbon power."

Ed Miliband, UK government Energy Secretary, called it a "major milestone" for Britain's energy security.

He added: "Our clean energy mission is the only route to getting off the rollercoaster of fossil fuels and take back control of our energy independence."