Gov’t backing plans for three Rolls-Royce reactors at Gwyndod in Wales
US-based engineering firm Jacobs has been chosen by UK government body Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) to provide planning and consenting services for proposed small modular reactor (SMRs) developments in the UK.
Jacobs, which has offices in the UK and has worked on major nuclear projects in the country including new large-scale units at Hinkley Point C, said it will provide planning, consent support and leadership to key land-use planning activities to help advance required project approvals.
Initially, the focus will be on new nuclear development at the Gwyndod (formerly Wylfa Newydd) and Oldbury-on-Severn sites, with the potential to include additional sites that will support GBE-N’s future ambitions.
Work is likely to include development consent order and planning act applications. The work, to be delivered with planning subconsultant Quod, will also entail statutory stakeholder engagement, socio-economic and traffic and transport assessments to help inform project planning and community considerations.
In March 2024, the government announced that an agreement had been reached to buy the Hitachi-owned sites at what was then known as Wylfa, on the coast of Ynys Môn (Anglesey) in North Wales, and at Oldbury-on-Severn in southwest England.
In November 2025 the UK chose the Wylfa site to host Britain’s first SMRs, designed by Rolls-Royce SMR, in a significant step forward for the industry.
In April, Rolls-Royce SMR and GBE-N signed a contract that enables work to start immediately on the delivery of three Rolls-Royce SMRs at Gwyndod, on the coast of Ynys Môn (Anglesey) in North Wales.
GBE-N has also awarded a £300m (€343m, $396m) contract to a joint venture between US-based Amentum and UK company Cavendish Nuclear to serve as the owner’s engineer for the Gwyndod SMR project.
Wylfa has two 490-MW gas-cooled reactor units that were permanently shut down in 2012 and 2015.
The Wylfa SMR project was officially renamed to Gwyndod in June. The new name was announced by GBE-N following hundreds of suggestions from locals, with the final selection made by a panel of young people from the island.
In May Jacobs was selected by GBE-N to provide environmental services for the Oldbury site, supporting the potential development of new nuclear generation.
