By Simon Roddy, Chief Executive, Great British Energy – Nuclear
Every year, the Nuclear Industry Association’s Jobs Map gives us an important measure of something that can otherwise be lost in the debate about energy. Namely that behind every project, every technology and every investment decision is one thing. People.
This year’s map shows that the UK civil nuclear workforce has reached a record 102,606, an increase of 4,433 since 2025. It also shows that 86% of jobs are outside London and the South-East. It is a significant and inspiring story of growth. The question now, with momentum building, is what do we do next?
The UK has made a clear choice to invest in new nuclear as part of a more secure, affordable and cleaner energy future. That is essential for energy security. It also creates an opportunity to support economic growth, strengthen our industrial base and create skilled, long-term careers in communities across the country.
At Great British Energy – Nuclear, our task is to turn that national ambition into delivery.
Gwyndod, Europe’s first small modular reactor project on Ynys Môn (Anglesey), is where ambition becomes reality. It is a first-of-a-kind project. At peak, we expect around 3,000 people to be working on site, with thousands more jobs across the wider supply chain. Since 2023, GBE-N has already awarded nearly £900 million in contracts, with more than 70% going to UK-registered companies.
Those numbers are significant, but they are only the beginning of the story. A project of this scale will need engineers and project professionals, safety and regulatory expertise, commercial and digital capability, skilled trades, graduates and apprentices — as well as the thousands of people across our partners and supply chain who will turn plans into a working power station.
Gwyndod must deliver lasting benefit for Ynys Môn and North Wales, while also creating demand and opportunity through a UK-wide nuclear supply chain. These opportunities are not limited to any one postcode. We can already see what sustained nuclear investment can do for regional economies. The challenge now is to make sure the next generation of projects builds on that success.
That means thinking about people as a delivery priority. We need to attract people who have spent their careers in nuclear, but we also need people who have never considered the sector before. We need to create routes in for young people and apprentices, bring in experience from other major infrastructure and regulated industries, and give people already in the sector reasons to stay, develop and lead.
We also need to show the breadth of the opportunity. You do not need to be a nuclear physicist to build a career in nuclear. Great projects depend on hundreds of disciplines, working together around a common objective.
That is why we are launching Powered by People.
Powered by People is our commitment to building the capability GBE-N needs to “get Gwyndod right” — and to creating careers in which people can grow while contributing to something of lasting national importance.
For us, that means three things. Power your future: giving people the opportunity to develop and build meaningful careers. Build something extraordinary: giving people the chance to contribute to a project that will be important for generations. And deliver together: recognising that a first-of-a-kind project can only succeed when people, organisations, communities and partners work as one team.
Recognising that nuclear projects are powered by people is part of how we build an organisation capable of delivery.
The Jobs Map shows how far the UK nuclear sector has come. The opportunity in front of us is to turn that growth into enduring national capability: good careers, stronger supply chains, regional opportunity and the people needed to deliver the next generation of nuclear.
Technology will enable Britain’s nuclear future. Investment will make it possible. People will deliver it.
That is what Powered by People means to us.