Great British Energy – Nuclear is due to report to ministers later in 2026 on UK sites that could host another large-scale nuclear power station beyond Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C.
The latest position was set out by Energy Minister Michael Shanks in a written parliamentary answer on 16 October. GBE-N's current remit is to identify suitable sites and advise ministers; the government has not taken a decision to proceed with another gigawatt-scale project.
GBE-N was given the siting commission in November 2025, when ministers said another large reactor could follow the two EPR projects at Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C. The original timetable called for a report by autumn 2026. The October parliamentary answer now says the work will be submitted later in 2026 to inform decisions in the next Spending Review and beyond.
Parliamentarians and industry representatives at the Nuclear Energy APPG meeting on the future of gigawatt-scale nuclear development in the UK. Image: Nuclear Energy APPG
Siting report is the next decision point
The study covers potential locations across the UK. A June parliamentary answer confirmed that GBE-N is examining sites in Scotland as part of the work, while the government's original November 2025 nuclear statement said the organisation would consider areas that have hosted nuclear generation in the past.
The same statement said GBE-N would continue evaluating Oldbury in Gloucestershire for future nuclear deployment. Oldbury and Wylfa were bought by the then Great British Nuclear in 2024, although Wylfa has since been selected for the separate Rolls-Royce small modular reactor programme.
GBE-N chief executive Simon Bowen told the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee in April that the organisation was preparing a comprehensive report on potential development sites. He also said GBE-N's role covers delivery, enabling projects and advising government, with the organisation likely to lead future government-backed nuclear programmes.
Another gigawatt project would carry a major construction workload
The construction scale can be seen in the two gigawatt projects already in the UK programme. Government figures citing Oxford Economics estimate that Sizewell C will support 17,000 direct and indirect jobs at peak construction, with plans for 70% of construction spending to be placed with UK companies.
EDF reports that Hinkley Point C currently supports 26,000 direct and indirect jobs across Britain. A July parliamentary answer also put its contribution to the national economy at £13.3bn.
For construction, another large reactor programme would create demand well beyond the nuclear island itself. A site of this scale needs enabling works, bulk earthworks, heavy civil engineering, concrete structures, electrical and mechanical systems, temporary works, site logistics and long-duration testing and commissioning. The eventual construction scope would depend on the location and reactor technology selected after the siting and investment decisions.
GBE-N is already building the SMR supply chain
The gigawatt siting study is running alongside GBE-N's first SMR programme at Wylfa, now named Gwyndod Power Station. The initial programme is planned around up to three Rolls-Royce SMR units on Anglesey.
LCM reported in September that GBE-N had moved a proposed £730m–£1.1bn Gwyndod early works package into preliminary market engagement. The planned procurement brings civils, earthworks, infrastructure, buildings and MEP into one package, with GBE-N currently estimating publication of the tender notice on 1 March 2027.
That package is separate from the technology agreement signed with Rolls-Royce SMR in April, which moved site-specific design and regulatory work forward. LCM's earlier examination of the Wylfa agreement looked at how the project was moving from technology selection towards a construction delivery programme.
The supply chain is now being mobilised. More than 400 businesses attended a GBE-N and Rolls-Royce SMR event on Anglesey in October, with the project team targeting 70% UK content and more than 300 apprentices during construction, according to GBE-N's 27 October programme update.
Nuclear siting rules are changing at the same time
The search for another large reactor is also running through a changing planning and regulatory system. The government's March response to the Nuclear Regulatory Review said it intends to update nuclear National Policy Statement EN-7 with a criterion supporting fleet deployment and repeated use of proven designs.
The government's regulatory reform programme also includes work on the Semi-Urban Population Criterion, intended to increase the number of potentially suitable nuclear sites while retaining public safety requirements.
That creates two connected pieces of work for the next gigawatt programme: GBE-N is identifying where another plant could be developed, while government is revising parts of the policy framework through which future nuclear sites and repeat reactor designs would be assessed.
The next formal milestone is GBE-N's report to ministers. The government said on 16 October that it expects the siting work later in 2026, with the findings feeding into decisions at the next Spending Review and beyond.
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