(Image: Rolls-Royce SMR)

Luke Myer, Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, has welcomed the Government’s announcement of the UK’s first Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).

The project will be delivered using Rolls-Royce SMR technology, ensuring that the UK’s first SMRs are based on a British design and manufactured through a British-led supply chain. Built in North Wales and backed by over £2.5 billion of public investment, the programme strengthens the UK’s long-term energy security while supporting skilled jobs and industrial capacity across England and Wales.

Luke, who sits on the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Nuclear Energy, has consistently advocated for investment in nuclear power (Sept ’24, Feb ’25, June ’25, Sept ’25). For Teesside, this growing national programme builds directly on recent progress at Hartlepool, where Centrica and X-energy plan to deploy up to 12 Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs). The Hartlepool project is expected to generate up to 2,500 skilled jobs for the Tees Valley region, provide clean power for 1.5 million homes, and unlock around £12 billion in economic value. Local engineering firms, fabrication businesses and specialist manufacturers across Teesside are expected to benefit from supply-chain opportunities created by both AMR and SMR deployment.

These projects form part of the most ambitious expansion of nuclear power in Britain for half a century. It includes major investment in Sizewell C, which will power six million homes and support 10,000 jobs; the UK’s first prototype fusion plant at West Burton; and a national pathway for future large-scale, SMR, and AMR projects through Great British Energy – Nuclear. Together, these developments will help meet rising electricity demand, cut exposure to volatile global gas markets, and enable the transition to clean, homegrown power.

Luke Myer MP said:

“This is a decisive step in strengthening Britain’s energy security. By expanding our nuclear capacity with British technology, the UK will generate more clean power here at home, protect households from global price shocks and support skilled jobs across the country.

For Teesside, it complements the progress already being made at Hartlepool and across our wider supply chain. This is the kind of long-term industrial strategy our region has been calling for – one that backs British industry, lowers bills over time and builds the resilient energy system the country needs.”