The announcement follows several months of engagement with UK body the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR). Last Energy’s South Wales development now becomes the first SMR project in the UK to enter the licensing process and the first new site since the Torness Nuclear Power Station in Scotland in 1978.
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In October 2024, the company revealed plans to develop four PWR-20 ‘micro nuclear plants’ on the site of the former coal-fired Llynfi Power Station in Bridgend. The 20MW units consist of standardised modules designed for factory fabrication in around 20 months. These units can then be transported by lorry, with assembly on-site taking four months. According to Last Energy, the first Welsh plant could be delivered as soon as 2027.
“We are pleased to officially enter site licensing with ONR, as we continue to make tangible progress toward the delivery of our first microreactor in Wales,” said Michael Jenner, CEO of Last Energy UK, a subsidiary of Last Energy.
“This is another critical milestone necessary to unlock nuclear power at scale in the UK, which will help meet growing energy demand and alleviate grid restraints. We appreciate ONR’s efforts during early engagement, which has allowed us to accelerate through the process swiftly. We also very much welcome that ONR has applied proportionality during their engagement with us, as this is a critical enabler for realising the benefits of SMRs.”
Last Energy obtained site control of Llynfi last October. This was followed by EXIM’s $103.7m LOI to cover end-to-end delivery for its first installation, pending final commitment. In January 2025, the company accepted a grid connection offer from National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) for 22 MW of export capacity.
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