Politics Home Article | Shaping our nuclear future

Wylfa on Anglesey selected as the site for the UK’s first small modular reactor nuclear plant

“I think we are at a real moment,” Simon Roddy, the new CEO of Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N), tells us early on in his sit-down conversation with Total Politics. “The need for secure, reliable and clean energy has never been greater. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.”

This conviction was strong enough to persuade Roddy to leave a successful career in the private sector to head up GBE-N, taking on one of the biggest infrastructure challenges in Britain. It is a challenge that he believes the nation is ready to meet. With electricity demand increasing and energy security at the centre of political debate, Roddy says the question is no longer whether we embrace nuclear. Instead, it is how we successfully deliver it.

That is where GBE-N comes in. Created less than three years ago, the organisation has already achieved a series of important milestones, including the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) competition, the appointment of Rolls-Royce SMR as a technology partner, and plans in place for the deployment of the first SMRs at Wylfa on Anglesey.

Roddy is aware that he has stepped into an industry with a long and storied history. Britain was one of the pioneers of civil nuclear power. He told us that level of embedded expertise is a major national asset. “I am extremely conscious of the heritage, and I approach it with enormous enthusiasm, but also a great deal of humility,” he says. “I look at the experience, skills and expertise that made nuclear what it was in the UK. That capability is still there. That commitment is still there. That hunger to put nuclear back at the heart of the system is still there.”

That blend of heritage and opportunity is what motivated Roddy to make the move into nuclear after three decades of work in the energy sector. Throughout our conversation, he remains clear-sighted about the primary task ahead of him.

The power station might be in Wylfa, but the capability to design it, engineer it, and build it comes from all over the UK

“Our mission over the coming days, weeks, months, and years is to get Wylfa right,” he states bluntly. “That is what we will be remembered for.”

For Roddy, the significance of the Anglesey project extends far beyond the construction of a new power station. It is also about demonstrating that Britain can once again deliver major infrastructure projects at pace and scale.

“Yes, it is a power station,” he reminds us, “But it is also a reset of nuclear in the UK. It is putting nuclear back at the heart of our energy system.”

Roddy points out that the lessons learned at Wylfa will shape what comes next. One of the attractions of SMRs, he tells us, is the potential to move away from one-off projects and pioneer a repeatable model that can be deployed at pace across the country.

“The whole concept of replication and of improvement through standardisation and therefore the ability to deploy at scale is at the heart of SMR,” Roddy explains. “The modular concept is transformational.”

Having spent a great deal of time at the Anglesey site since taking up the role, Roddy says he has been struck by the level of local enthusiasm. However, he highlights that the impact of work on Wylfa will be felt far beyond Anglesey.

“The power station might be in Wylfa, but the capability to design it, engineer it, and build it comes from all over the UK,” Roddy tells us. “This is a national mission and a national endeavour.”

Roddy points out GBE-N is on track to meet its ambition for 70 per cent of GBE-N contracts to be awarded to UK companies. But the GBE-N Chief Executive believes that success is about more than jobs, investment, or a single power station. It is about creating the stable energy foundation that underpins our entire way of life.

Trust, he tells us, will ultimately determine whether that generational opportunity is realised.

“Trust plays a critical role,” he says. “Whether that’s with residents, our neighbours, those who live on Anglesey, the different regulatory agencies, the supply chain, or the wider public.”

That emphasis on trust runs through Roddy’s approach to leadership. It is also closely tied to the culture he wants to build inside GBE-N to drive its ambition to innovate to benefit the nation.

“The most successful organisations are those that have a culture that helps identify issues early and have that supporting environment to address the challenges together,” he says. “That is the culture we want.”

The ability to overcome challenges will be vital if GBE-N is to succeed. Major infrastructure projects inevitably encounter difficulties. What distinguishes the best organisations, Roddy argues, is the ability to respond when those moments arise.

“Any project of this size and scale will have bumps,” he points out. “The challenge is how you work together, how you build the coalition to avoid them or manage them in the best possible way.”

He believes that the level of alignment already emerging across government, regulators, and industry makes GBE-N well-placed to achieve that goal.

“The support from government and from regulators has been very strong,” he says. “There is an absolute focus and commitment on how we actually work together to move forward safely and at pace. There is no trade-off. We can do them both.”

For Roddy, Wylfa is the place where Britain’s nuclear heritage and future ambitions will initially come together. Partners are now in place. The expertise and technology already exist. The challenge now is one of delivery.

The prize on offer is much greater than a single project. It is the opportunity to establish a new model for nuclear deployment, unlock future sites, and put nuclear back at the centre of the nation’s energy future.