Mark Mansfield
A planned nuclear power project on Ynys Môn is expected to create around 3,000 local jobs at peak construction, according to industry bodies which have published a new map of nuclear employment in Wales.
The Nuclear Industry Association and Wales Nuclear Forum recorded 2,210 jobs across participating member companies, covering work ranging from decommissioning to engineering and specialist services.
Project Gwyndod, led by Great British Energy – Nuclear and Rolls-Royce SMR, is forecast to support a further 5,000 jobs across the wider UK supply chain during peak construction.
The figures are projections for the development’s busiest construction period, rather than a count of permanent posts.
Decommissioning remains a significant employer. The map records more than 250 people at Wylfa, which stopped generating electricity in 2015, and more than 190 at Trawsfynydd, where generation ended in 1993.
The workforce extends beyond the former power stations. The map lists 121 jobs at Boccard UK in Fflint Wrecsam, 85 at William Hare in Casnewydd Islwyn and 45 at Pro Steel Engineering in Sir Fynwy Torfaen.
The figures cover participating members of the two organisations, rather than every nuclear-related employer in Wales.
Gwyndod is planned for a site near Wylfa, which was selected for the UK’s first small modular reactor project in November 2025. Three Rolls-Royce reactors are proposed, with a combined generating capacity of up to 1.4 gigawatts.
The UK Government committed £2.5 billion to support the SMR programme in its 2025 Spending Review.
Rolls-Royce SMR has launched a supplier programme offering UK businesses the chance to compete for up to £1.4 billion of contracts over the next year. The company and GBE-N are targeting more than 70% UK content for the fleet.
A joint supplier conference will take place on Ynys Môn on October 22 and 23, giving businesses information about forthcoming contracts and procurement requirements.
Ynys Môn MP Llinos Medi said: “North Wales has a long and proud history in civil nuclear energy, and local skills and expertise must be front and centre of Gwyndod’s development.
“Done in the right way, the project can create thousands of high-quality jobs and be a cornerstone of our energy security.”
Opportunities
Mair Rowlands, who chairs the Senedd’s Nuclear Energy Cross-Party Group, said her priority was ensuring residents’ interests were considered throughout the development, including “maximising the opportunities and mitigating the challenges that inevitably come with a project of this size and nature”.
Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar and Reform Wales leader Helen Jenner also welcomed the prospect of jobs and contracts for Welsh businesses.
Nuclear Industry Association chief executive Tom Greatrex called on the UK Government to implement the Nuclear Regulatory Review to streamline approvals, reduce costs and speed up delivery.
However, opponents of the development have urged the UK Government to reconsider its funding.
Open letter
Linda Rogers and Robat Idris, who are members of a local group opposing the plans, raised concerns in an open letter to Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh about emergency evacuation from Ynys Môn, radioactive waste storage and the vulnerability of nuclear infrastructure during conflict and extreme weather.
They also questioned whether electricity from the proposed reactors could supply AI data centres on or near the island.
“We implore you to reconsider pouring more money into these nuclear reactors,” the letter states, calling instead for investment in grid upgrades and renewable energy.
Anna Lewis, regional stakeholder and communications manager at GBE-N, lives on Ynys Môn, where her grandfather worked at Wylfa.
“For many, Wylfa was far more than a workplace. It had a strong sense of community and created friendships that have lasted a lifetime,” she said.
“The opportunity to build a career in nuclear on my doorstep on Ynys Môn is a real privilege.”
Another worker, Tommy Evans, began his career as an apprentice on the earlier Wylfa Newydd project. He now works as an internal hazards engineer at Rolls-Royce SMR.
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