Thursday 23 May 2024

National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) welcomes the announcement of the location for the next large-scale nuclear plant in Anglesey, Wales from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. This follows the recent commitment from Government to purchase the Wylfa site for future nuclear development. 

Emma Vernon, Vice President of Government and New Build, NNL said:

“This is a huge step forward to enable us to achieve the target set in the ‘Civil Nuclear: Roadmap to 2050’ of up to 24 Gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2050.  

“Large-scale reactors play an important role in the future production of nuclear energy. They are key to enabling the decarbonisation of energy production in the UK, alongside small-scale and advanced modular reactors. As the UK’s national laboratory for nuclear fission, we look forward to supporting the chosen vendor.” 

Clare Barlow, Chief HR Officer, NNL added:

“We are extremely pleased to see this investment in Wales, as it will ensure a wealth of highly skilled jobs for the region. Last week, we signed the Nuclear Skills Charter, a cross-industry initiative to build the talent pipeline to support the industry. This plant will provide job opportunities for people at all stages of their career, from all walks of life.”  

NNL has an office in North Wales and recently released its flagship report ‘Decarbonisation and Regional Growth’. This showed that 88% of those surveyed in Anglesey agreed that development of nuclear plant in their area would provide local people with training and work opportunities in a skilled profession.  

To find out how nuclear can contribute to the UK’s net zero goals, and provide growth opportunities regionally, please follow this link.