Jacobs to assist in planning of UK SMR projects

Jacobs, which has around 6,000 staff across its UK operations, will provide strategic planning, consent support and leadership to key land-use planning activities to help advance required project approvals. Initially, the focus will be on new nuclear development at the Gwyndod (formerly Wylfa Newydd) and Oldbury-on-Severn sites, with the potential to include additional sites that will support GBE-N's future ambitions. Work is likely to include Development Consent Order and Town and Country Planning Act applications. The services will be delivered with planning subconsultant Quod. The work will also entail statutory stakeholder engagement, socio-economic and traffic and transport assessments to help inform project planning and community considerations.

"New nuclear generation will play an important role in strengthening energy security and supporting the transition to lower-carbon power systems," said Jacobs Executive Vice President Richard Sanderson. "Delivering this project requires careful planning, robust engagement with communities and a clear path through complex regulatory processes. Our integrated team will support GBE-N in advancing the planning framework for their sites, enabling development proposals to be informed by strong analysis, stakeholder input and long-term regional considerations."

GBE-N Chief Executive Simon Roddy added: "Continuing to deliver the first of the UK's fleet of SMRs with pace and focus will require a deep understanding of the planning and consenting processes for energy infrastructure in the UK, and I'm pleased to have appointed Jacobs and Quod to help us in this effort."

In March 2024, the government announced that an agreement had been reached to buy the Hitachi-owned sites for new nuclear at Wylfa and at Oldbury-on-Severn in southwest England. At the time, it said the two sites were expected to be prioritised for new nuclear as the UK seeks to expand nuclear energy capacity.

In June 2025, Rolls-Royce SMR was selected as the UK government's preferred technology for the country's first SMR project. A final investment decision is expected to be taken in 2029. In November, the UK government announced that Wylfa on the island of Anglesey, North Wales, would be the site to host the three Rolls-Royce SMR units. It said the site - where a Magnox plant is being decommissioned - could potentially host up to eight SMRs. In April, Rolls-Royce SMR signed a contract with GBE-N to begin site-specific design and delivery activities for the UK's first SMRs at Wylfa.

Jacobs, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, plays a leading role in the UK's civil nuclear industry, contributing to major programmes such as Sizewell C, Hinkley Point C and Sellafield. In the UK, its staff operate from 15 offices and 35 additional sites.

In May, the company was selected by GBE-N to provide environmental services for potential SMR nuclear development at its Oldbury site. Jacobs said that its work, with a multidisciplinary team including AtkinsRéalis and AECOM, would cover terrestrial and marine environments, environmental assessments, Habitats Regulations Assessment and "associated activities to inform future potential planning, design and permitting decisions".