PRIME Minister Sir Keir Starmer has hailed the development of a small modular nuclear reactor and artificial intelligence (AI) growth zone in Wales as “probably the biggest announcement for a generation” that would bring jobs to the area “for decades to come”.
The Prime Minister said more than 6,500 jobs would be created as he visited Anglesey today (Thursday).
The UK’s first small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear power station will be built at Wylfa in North Wales by publicly owned Great British Energy-Nuclear and is backed by £2.5 billion investment from the Government.
Ministers also announced the latest AI growth zone will be established in the region.
Sir Keir said the “absolutely amazing” data centre will be a “magnet to bring in even more jobs”.
Sir Keir said the nuclear site would create 3,000 jobs and the AI growth zone 3,500.
In a speech at a further education college, the Labour leader said: “Putting that together, 6,500 jobs – I personally think it’ll be more than that because I do think these things have a magnet effect. They draw in other businesses.
“This is probably the biggest announcement for a generation, I think, here. And these are not jobs that are going to last one year or two years or three years… These are jobs that’ll be there for decades to come.”
Asked when the work would begin, Sir Keir said: “Some of those jobs will already be beginning and they will ramp up during the rest of this year, but then next year to come on stream for both the nuclear and the AI growth zone.”
The reactors will be designed by Rolls-Royce SMR, subject to final contract.
Small modular reactors (SMR) are mini nuclear power stations which are smaller and designed to be installed on site as prefabricated modules, with hopes the technology will be quicker to build than more traditional plants such as Hinkley Point C.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said the announcement would allow Wylfa, where previous attempts to bring back nuclear power to the site of a former reactor had failed, to become a “beacon” of a nuclear golden age, the department said.
The UK’s first small modular nuclear reactors are expected to generate enough electricity to power three million homes.
The move is part of plans to shift to nuclear power and other clean energy, such as renewables, which the Government hopes will bring down prices and boost the UK’s energy sovereignty.
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