Wylfa Is Moving: What the Gwyndod SMR Programme Means for North Wales Businesses

For businesses across North Wales, the conversation around Wylfa is beginning to change.

For many years, discussions have centred on whether a new nuclear development would return to the site. Today, the more relevant question is becoming: how will the new Gwyndod Power Station be delivered – and which businesses will be part of that delivery?

Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) is progressing plans to deliver the UK’s first fleet of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) at Wylfa on Ynys Môn, using Rolls-Royce SMR technology.

The initial programme will comprise three reactors providing at least 1.4GW of generating capacity. At peak construction, GBE-N expects approximately 3,000 people to be working on site, with a further 5,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs supported through the wider nuclear energy supply chain.

For North Wales businesses, however, one of the most significant numbers may be this:

Billions of pounds of procurement are still to come.

GBE-N reported in June that it had already awarded nearly £900 million of contracts since its creation in 2023, with more than 70% going to UK-registered companies. Rolls-Royce SMR has also spent more than £300 million through its supply chain since 2021, with at least 70% of that spend going to UK-based businesses.

This is therefore not simply a future construction project. A substantial delivery and supply-chain ecosystem is already starting to form.

The supply chain is taking shape

Some major delivery appointments have already been made.

GBE-N has appointed Litmus Nuclear – a joint venture between Amentum and Cavendish Nuclear – as Owner’s Engineer under a contract worth up to £300 million.

Environmental services and permitting work at Wylfa have been awarded to WSP and Mott MacDonald, while foundation engineering has been awarded to Arup, supported by organisations including Costain, Mace, Gleeds, LDA Design and TÜV SÜD Nuclear Technologies.

The Rolls-Royce SMR supply chain is developing too.

Most recently, it was confirmed that key steam-turbine components for the first three Gwyndod reactors will be manufactured at Siemens Energy’s Newcastle facility.

These announcements demonstrate something important for businesses in North Wales.

Major programmes do not consist of one client and one main contractor.

Behind every Tier 1 appointment sits another layer of contractors, consultants, specialists, technology providers, professional-services organisations and SMEs required to help deliver the programme.

And behind those businesses sit further suppliers.

That is where the scale of the opportunity begins to become apparent.

An opportunity extending beyond engineering and construction

When we talk about the Wylfa supply chain, it is easy to think primarily about nuclear engineering.

Clearly, engineering, manufacturing and construction will form a huge part of the programme.

But projects of this scale require a much broader range of capabilities.

Organisations involved in delivering major infrastructure programmes also need project and programme management, commercial support, technology and systems, facilities, logistics, recruitment, training, professional services, environmental expertise, communications and stakeholder engagement.

They need governance.

They need reporting.

They need programme controls.

They need suppliers to be coordinated, risks to be managed and projects to be mobilised.

And as companies win larger contracts, they frequently need additional delivery capability themselves.

For SMEs in particular, winning a contract is only the beginning.

The next challenge is being able to deliver it.

Are North Wales businesses ready?

This is perhaps the question businesses should be asking now.

Not:

“Is there an opportunity for us at Wylfa?”

But:

“What would we need to have in place to participate successfully?”

For some organisations that could mean obtaining industry accreditations or demonstrating appropriate quality and compliance standards.

For others it may mean strengthening project governance, reporting or programme controls.

Businesses may need to demonstrate robust risk management, resource planning, supply-chain management, information security or stakeholder-management processes.

And businesses accustomed to delivering relatively small projects may suddenly find themselves operating within a much larger programme environment, with significantly greater expectations around reporting, governance and assurance.

Preparing for those expectations before an opportunity appears can make a significant difference.

Relationships need to start before procurement

There is another element that North Wales businesses should not overlook.

Relationships.

On 8 September, Rolls-Royce SMR and GBE-N opened registration for their first joint supply-chain conference.

Called Delivering Together, the two-day event will take place at Coleg Menai’s Llangefni campus on 22 and 23 October.

The event will bring together local, regional, national and international suppliers with senior representatives from Rolls-Royce SMR, GBE-N, delivery partners and major Tier 1 suppliers.

Significantly, the second day will focus specifically on opportunities for local suppliers and SMEs and on helping businesses understand how they can become involved in the Gwyndod project.

That sends a clear message.

The organisations leading the programme want businesses to start understanding the opportunity and the standards expected of the supply chain.

For local businesses, this is the time to start listening, learning and building relationships.

Not when every contract has already been awarded.

Keeping the benefits local

There is also a strong commitment to ensuring that the economic benefits generated by Gwyndod reach Ynys Môn and the wider North Wales economy.

Earlier this year, GBE-N and Isle of Anglesey County Council signed a formal collaboration agreement focused on responsible delivery and maximising local benefits.

Those benefits are expected to include employment, skills development, supply-chain growth, infrastructure and longer-term community investment.

The council has also emphasised the importance of the proximity principle when working with GBE-N and its contractors – ensuring communities closest to the development benefit from the opportunities it creates.

That makes supplier readiness particularly important.

A desire to use local businesses can only translate into local contracts if those businesses are capable of meeting the requirements of the organisations buying their services.

Wylfa is part of a bigger North Wales opportunity

It is also important not to consider Gwyndod in isolation.

Ynys Môn and North Wales are simultaneously seeing major developments around the Anglesey Freeport, Holyhead, energy infrastructure and technology.

These programmes will create their own projects, suppliers and investment – but there is considerable overlap between them.

Businesses moving into the region will need premises, people, infrastructure, technology and professional services.

Existing businesses may grow.

New partnerships and supply chains will form.

Companies that have traditionally operated elsewhere in the UK may establish a presence in North Wales.

The opportunity therefore extends beyond winning a direct contract on the nuclear programme.

There will also be opportunities to support the organisations that win those contracts.

For North Wales SMEs, that distinction could be extremely important.

The time to prepare is now

There is still a long journey ahead before Gwyndod Power Station becomes operational.

But from a business-development perspective, waiting for construction activity to become visible may mean waiting too long.

Procurement is happening.

Delivery partners are being appointed.

The supply chain is forming.

Supplier engagement is beginning.

And conversations about local participation are already taking place.

North Wales businesses should therefore be asking themselves:

Where could we realistically contribute?

Who are the organisations we need to build relationships with?

What standards will be expected of us?

Are our governance and delivery processes capable of supporting larger programmes?

And if we won a significant piece of work tomorrow, would we genuinely be ready to deliver it?

At Haych, these are questions I find particularly interesting.

I have worked with organisations delivering complex projects and programmes, providing flexible programme and project delivery capability across areas including mobilisation, governance, PMO, project controls, stakeholder coordination, technology and transformation.

As a North Wales business, I will be following the development of Gwyndod, the Anglesey Freeport and the wider regional supply chain closely.

Wylfa is moving.

And for businesses that want to be part of what comes next, now is the time to start getting ready.