Written by Lisa Murimi
Britain has selected Wylfa on the island of Anglesey in North Wales as the site for its first small modular nuclear power station (SMR), a move that has angered the United States, which had hoped for a larger U.S.-led project at the same location.
The UK government said it chose Wylfa as part of its plan to boost energy security and meet climate targets through the development of smaller, faster-to-build nuclear reactors. The project will be led by Rolls-Royce, the country’s leading engineering company, which has been at the forefront of SMR technology.
Small modular reactors are seen as a way to cut costs and speed up construction, compared to traditional nuclear plants that often take decades to complete.
The Wylfa plant is expected to generate power for about three million homes and create up to 3,000 jobs during construction, with operations expected to begin in the 2030s.
However, the decision has drawn criticism from Washington. U.S. ambassador Warren Stephens said the United States was “extremely disappointed” by Britain’s choice, arguing that there were “cheaper, faster, and already-approved options” available, including the proposal from U.S. energy company Westinghouse to build a large-scale reactor at the same site.
Stephens also warned that Britain’s energy strategy was inflating costs and weakening the country’s competitiveness, calling the SMR plan a setback for transatlantic cooperation in clean energy.
Responding to the criticism, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended the decision, saying that developing small modular reactors was key to maintaining the UK’s sovereign energy capability.
The government insisted that it still valued U.S. cooperation and was considering other potential sites for a large-scale nuclear project, to be identified by GB Energy-Nuclear by 2026.
“This is a sovereign capability, so we want to use the best site possible for our flagship programme,” the spokesperson said. “We will work closely with our U.S. partners—they remain vital to Britain’s nuclear future.”
Currently, Britain has two major nuclear power stations under construction—Hinkley Point C in western England and Sizewell C in the east.
The Wylfa SMR project marks a new step in Britain’s effort to diversify its nuclear energy portfolio while balancing domestic priorities with its long-standing alliance with the United States.
