Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of implementing the recommendations of the Nuclear Regulatory Review on future civil nuclear employment in the UK.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is taking forward all recommendations from the Nuclear Regulatory Review and published its Implementation Plan in March 2026. These regulatory reforms aim to streamline the delivery of new nuclear projects, provide industry with greater certainty to invest in the skills and workforce needed, and support the sector’s growth and its contribution to creating of well-paid, high-skilled jobs across the UK.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans she has for the deployment of small modular reactors beyond the Gwyndod project; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of that deployment on civil nuclear employment.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government is delivering a golden age of nuclear, which will support thousands of skilled jobs across the economy.
Great British Energy – Nuclear is driving forward the government’s small modular reactor (SMR) programme. It has entered into contract with Rolls-Royce SMR (RR SMR) to progress the design of the Gwyndod project, which will comprise three RR SMR units and seeks to generate around 1.4GW of electricity from the mid-2030s.
Gwyndod represents the most significant industrial investment in North Wales for a generation, supporting up to 3,000 skilled jobs on site at peak construction and thousands more across the supply chain.
The government’s long-term ambition is to bring forward one of Europe’s first SMR fleets.