Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment has he made of the opportunities that Project Gwyndod is expected to create for Welsh civil nuclear companies.

The Small Modular Reactor (SMR) project, Gwyndod, represents a major opportunity for Welsh civil nuclear companies. It is expected to create around 3,000 skilled jobs at peak construction, with thousands more across the UK supply chain and support more than 300 apprentices.

Minister Hughes gave a keynote address at the SME-focused day of the joint Rolls-Royce SMR and Great British Energy-Nuclear (GBE-N) Supplier Conference at Coleg Menai on Anglesey, where she emphasised our determination to maximise opportunities for Welsh businesses, supporting jobs and economic growth across Wales.

The Supplier Conference focused on helping businesses access supply chain opportunities, including Rolls-Royce SMR’s Supplier Programme, which offers UK businesses the opportunity to compete for up to £1.4 billion of contracts, alongside GBE-N’s ongoing engagement with UK and local suppliers.

GBE-N wants 70% of supply chain products to be British-built across the SMR fleet and, to date, has awarded almost £900 million in contracts, with well over 70% going to UK-registered businesses. I am working closely with GBE-N, Rolls-Royce SMR and across the UK and Welsh Government to maximise Gwyndod’s benefits for Welsh businesses.