2026 October 24 « nuclear-news

Deep concerns regarding the Rolls-Royce development at the Wylfa site

Open Letter to Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Secretary of State for Energy Security
and Net Zero.

Dear Secretary of State, I am contacting you with a letter
written to the former holder of the post, Ed Milliband, expressing my deep
concerns regarding the Rolls-Royce development at the Wylfa site on Ynys
Mon.

Since writing to Ed Miliband, there have been developments that make
the prospects of a nuclear site on the island even more concerning:

1)Increasing threats of war mean that we will be targets for attack. Russia
and Iran have both threatened us, due to our interventions in Ukraine and
the use of British bases for the bombing of Iran. Whatever the rights and
wrongs of these interventions, it is clear that nuclear power stations are
now regular targets for attack. How are we to be protected? How are we to
get off the island in the event of an attack ( or nuclear accident)? There
are two bridges connecting us to the mainland, and even if there were
three, there would be no safe evacuation possible, without the danger of
accidents.

RAF Valley is also on the island, making us a further target.
The waste produced by the possible new nuclear reactors will also serve as
an ongoing target and risk, as it would remain onsite for at least 100
years, being too hot to remove. Our future generations will be responsible
for this; not a legacy we want to bequeath.

2) Increasing droughts and
wildfires have threatened the safety of nuclear plants all over the world,
including at Sizewell B this year. Should the electricity supply be cut to
a nuclear power station, if backup diesel power is then cut off or damaged,
through flooding, as in the case of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, then
there is also disaster, as the reactors cannot be cooled if there is no
electrical power to the station. So, for a nuclear station to be safe,
there needs to be adequate power in the first place. This can no longer be
relied on.

3) A December 2025 Harvard T.H Chan study found a statistical
link between those living close to nuclear power plants and higher cancer
rates in Massachusetts. The strongest link was seen within 20 to 30
kilometers of a nuclear station, and the risk increased as people got
older. There is also a risk to workers.

4) Whereas the Rolls-Royce site has
advertised that the electricity generated at Wylfa would go to homes, it is
now published that energy could go to AI centres being developed on the
island and nearby. How are we to know the end use of the electricity to be
generated by these nuclear reactors?

The World Nuclear Industry Status
Report ( WNISR) 2026 shows that between March 2025 and June 2026, both
solar and wind power have independently surpassed generating electricity
from nuclear reactors. I understand that you want to mitigate the effects
of climate change in the most efficient and safe ways possible. Nuclear
power is neither efficient or safe, particularly under conditions of
conflict, climate change, or indeed pandemic, where routine maintenance is
reduced, as happened during the Covid pandemic.

We implore you to
reconsider pouring more money into these nuclear reactors, yet to receive
the Generic Development Consent order, and instead concentrate our
resources to upgrading the grid, as you propose, and using our excellent
renewable energy sources.

People Against Wylfa B 19th Oct 2026,
https://www.stop-wylfa.org/

October 24, 2026 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, Small Modular Nuclear Reactors, UK | Leave a comment

OPG firm joins UK BWRX-300 project

The UK-based project company of European SMR developer and investor SGE, and Origin Nuclear, a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation, have signed a letter of intent to establish a joint venture for the future operation of a planned fleet of 14 BWRX-300 small modular reactors.

SGE SMR UK is the UK-based project company of Poland’s SGE (formerly Synthos Green Energy). Earlier this year, SGE outlined plans for the privately financed deployment of 14 GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 small modular reactors across three sites in the UK, for which it submitted an application under the UK’s Advanced Nuclear Framework.

The proposed joint venture will see SGE SMR UK and Origin Nuclear work together to establish a UK-based nuclear operating company. Origin Nuclear – whose owner, Canadian nuclear operator Ontario Power Generation (OPG), is developing the first BWRX-300 reactor at Darlington in Ontario – will support the licensing process, commissioning and operational readiness of the reactors, and will also be responsible for plant operations, and centralised support services across the proposed UK BWRX-300 fleet.

“This is a significant step forward for our UK programme,” SGE CEO Rafał Kasprów said. “Securing an operating partner is one of the most important decisions in developing a nuclear project, and with Origin Nuclear and its parent company OPG, we have a partner backed by more than a half century of nuclear experience and direct involvement in the first BWRX-300 project in Canada. It gives us greater confidence in our ability to deliver 14 reactors across three sites in the UK. Just as importantly, it brings us closer to establishing a long-term operating model that can support BWRX-300 projects across Europe.”

“The Darlington New Nuclear Project, where OPG has begun construction of the first BWRX-300, will deliver the reliable, low-carbon electricity Ontario needs to meet rapidly growing demand, while creating opportunities for Origin Nuclear and other Ontario companies to showcase our expertise on the global stage,” said Jos Diening, Origin President and CEO. “As OPG builds the next generation of nuclear infrastructure at home, Origin is helping position Ontario’s world-class supply chain to compete for opportunities around the world.”

The BWRX-300 is a 300 MWe water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems that leverages the design and licensing basis of GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s US Nuclear Regulatory Commission-certified ESBWR boiling water reactor design and its existing, licensed GNF2 fuel design. SGE is a co-investor in the standardised BWRX-300 design alongside GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy, OPG and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

The unit under construction in Canada is envisaged as the first of four at OPG’s Darlington New Nuclear site. In September, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a construction permit to TVA for a BWRX-300 reactor at the Clinch River site in Tennessee.

The first site in the UK is planned to accommodate six BWRX-300 reactors, with the first unit starting commercial operation in 2034. This would be followed by two further multi-unit sites – an approach SGE says is intended to support repeat construction, coordinated procurement and the transfer of experience between projects. The programme is supported by an international delivery team comprising SGE, GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Samsung C&T, Laing O’Rourke, Aecon Group Inc, Fermi Development and Etara.

The proposed total generating capacity from the 14 units of 4.2 GW would be enough, SGE says, to meet around 11% of UK power demand, equivalent to the needs of almost eight million homes, for at least 60 years.

October 24, 2026 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Small Modular Nuclear Reactors | Leave a comment