Britons seek a name for the first small modular reactor power station

The United Kingdom is preparing its first small modular reactor project at the Wylfa site on the island of Anglesey. The name of the new power station is to come from the local community and reflect the island’s character, history, landscape or language.

The UK government organisation Great British Energy – Nuclear has launched a competition to name the planned small modular reactor power station at the Wylfa site on the island of Anglesey in Wales. The organisation says the new name should be respectful, inclusive, focused on the local community and unique, meaning it should not already be in use for similar energy projects.

In a bilingual call for entries, the organisation said the project would be part of the story of the island of Anglesey for generations, and that its name should therefore come from the people who know the island best. Children and young people can also take part in the competition, for example through their schools. Entries will be assessed by a panel comprising local young people from Anglesey, community representatives and energy sector experts.

First UK project using Rolls-Royce SMR reactors

Great British Energy – Nuclear CEO Simon Roddy said Wylfa represents the UK’s first project of its kind, which is intended to deliver long-term benefits locally and nationally. He also emphasised the importance of delivering it safely and responsibly, with the involvement of the local community.

The Rolls-Royce SMR technology was selected by the UK government in June 2025 as the preferred solution for the UK’s first small modular reactor project. A budget of £2.6 billion was allocated to the project in the Spending Review 2025.

In November 2025, the UK government announced that the Wylfa site on Anglesey would host the first three Rolls-Royce SMR small modular reactors. The site, where the decommissioning of the original Magnox power station is currently under way, could eventually accommodate up to eight of these units, according to the government.

470 MWe pressurised water reactor

Rolls-Royce SMR is a small modular pressurised water reactor design with an electrical output of 470 MWe. The reactor unit is designed to provide stable baseload electricity generation for at least 60 years.

The project is based on a high degree of prefabrication and modular assembly. Rolls-Royce SMR says approximately 90% of components will be manufactured in controlled factory conditions, while work at the site will mainly involve installing and assembling prefabricated, tested modules. This approach is intended to reduce the risks associated with on-site construction and help shorten the construction schedule.

Wylfa has a long nuclear history

The original Wylfa nuclear power station comprised two 490 MW units, which entered service in 1971. The second unit ceased operation in 2012, followed by the first in 2015.

Hitachi bought the site in 2012 and planned to build a new Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station using UK Advanced Boiling Water Reactors, the British version of the advanced boiling water reactor (ABWR). However, the company halted the project in 2020.

Naming nuclear power stations after their location or a nearby place is common in the nuclear industry. One example is the UK’s Hinkley Point nuclear power station in Somerset, named after the coastal site of Hinkley Point on the Bristol Channel.

Residents of Anglesey can submit name suggestions for the new project until 5 p.m. on 8 June 2026.