More pressure is being piled on the Scottish Government to drop its opposition to nuclear energy as the first small modular reactor (SMR) is announced for a site in north Wales.
The UK Government has confirmed that Anglesey has been chosen as the location for the SMR to be built by Rolls-Royce and backed by £2.5 billion by publicly-owned GB Energy-Nuclear.
Energy Secretary Ed Milband has now asked GBE-N to identify other sites across the UK – including Scotland – and has asked it to report back by Autumn 2026 to inform decisions in the next Spending Review and beyond.
Labour has said it wants mini-reactors around the country close to areas of high electricity demand. They are cheaper and quicker to build than conventional nuclear plants.
Earlier this year the UK government announced a shake-up of planning rules to allow nuclear projects including SMRs to be built in a range of sites across England and Wales.
However, the Scottish government is opposed to nuclear energy and it can stop developments through the planning process.
It insists that the country’s energy can be best served through renewables, mainly wind and hydro power, which is cheaper and cleaner.
Critics say that Scotland risks being left behind if it does not add nuclear into the mix, particularly as wind energy can be intermittent and requires back up from other sources. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said he will change the policy if he becomes First Minister next year.
He said: “Scotland is full of potential for new nuclear projects – with thousands of jobs and billions of pounds of investment there to be won.
“But while other parts of the UK are forging ahead with the jobs and investment that new nuclear brings, Scotland is being prevented from benefiting due to SNP incompetence.
“As First Minister I will end the SNP’s student politics block on new nuclear power and deliver the jobs and the clean energy Scotland needs and deserves.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer added: “For years, the Tory government in Westminster and the SNP government in Scotland bottled it on nuclear.
“They talked big, delivered little, and left the country exposed. It’s our communities that have paid the price for that, watching as jobs vanish and ambition withers.
“John Swinney’s knackered SNP government has failed. They’ve banned nuclear in Scotland and the opportunities it brings. Instead, they consume themselves with yesterday’s arguments on independence
“Britain is entering a golden age of nuclear power – to deliver good, well-paid jobs of the future and putting pride back in our towns.
“Two Labour governments are working together in Wales to deliver on that promise. And with Anas Sarwar, Scotland has the chance for a new direction.”
The funding for the Anglesey project will help Rolls-Royce develop almost 1.5 gigawatts of electricity generating capacity.
Rolls-Royce was announced as preferred bidder in June after a competition launched almost two years ago, and it will see the company build three SMR units providing power to three million homes.
At about 480 megawatts each, Rolls-Royce’s pressurised water SMRs are larger than most other designs. The company estimates that its SMRs will support 3,000 direct and indirect jobs at the site in Wales during the peak construction period.
Sir Keir added: “Britain was once a world-leader in nuclear power, but years of neglect and inertia has meant places like Anglesey have been let down and left behind.
“Today, that changes. We’re using all the tools in our armoury – cutting red tape, changing planning laws, and backing growth – to deliver the country’s first SMR in North Wales.
“This government isn’t just reversing decline, it’s delivering thousands of future-proofed jobs, driving billions in investment, and providing cheaper energy bills in the long term.
“That’s national renewal in action: powered by British talent, powered by nuclear, and powered by a Government that’s delivering for working people.”
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