Good news (Welsh rarebit, Electric progress, More dosh for gas, Concorde conversion);
Not So Good News (Job opportunity, Too young to read, Off shore oil);
Other Project News (Noses & faces, Renovation planning, Make mine a Mythos);
Closing Remarks (Bats & newts, More teeth for wild animals, Heathland bridge)
and Looking Ahead
REPORT
By Dr. Miles Shepherd
Executive Advisor & International Correspondent
Salisbury, England, UK
INTRODUCTION
The global outlook remains bleak but Spring rolls on; the trees are in leaf, more plants in flower and the sun is shining so there is still cause for optimism. Spring for me is all about renewal, mainly wildlife and the environment, so there is news of some projects related to that. For the more technically minded, I can share some insights on AI, contract management and the latest manifestation of Agile. And on top of all that, there is some good news so I will kick off with that.
GOOD NEWS
The really good news this month is global, rather British. An analysis by the think tank Ember, claims that renewables have overtaken coal in the generation of electricity. Reductions in coal consumption in China and India account for the drop in coal use. The analysis shows that coal accounted for 33%, a record low while renewables accounted for 33.8%.
Despite world events, the project news is mostly about non-military projects and contracts but no doubt these will follow in due course. For now, we have some good news from Wales, air taxis and more:
Welsh Rarebit – The Government, in the shape of National Wealth Fund, has provided £599 million to help fund 3 Small Modular Reactors at Wylfa, on the Isle of Anglesey. The plan is to construct 3 small modular reactors (SMR) on the old nuclear site. Ministers selected the site after signing a £2.5bn partnership with Rolls-Royce to build it last year. Rolls-Royce claim the project will bring 3000 new jobs locally and a further 5000 nationally. When complete, the 3 SMRs should provide enough electricity to power the equivalent of about 3 million homes for more than 60 years. Tom Greatrex, Nuclear Industry Association chief executive, said called the approval “a historic step for clean power, industrial growth and skilled jobs in Wales”, saying Wylfa was a “very special site with unique strengths”.
“The sector stands ready to help make the country’s first SMR fleet a success, putting Britain at the forefront of new nuclear development,” After all planning and regulatory hurdles, it is hoped the SMRs will be on stream in the 2030s but is still subject to a final investment decision, which is expected by the turn of the decade. On a cautionary note, it will be recalled that this is an area that rejected another large project over fears that it would harm the speaking of the Welsh Language.
Electric Progress. Vertical Aerospace has announced execution and closing of its comprehensive financing package worth up to $850 million. This came shortly before they announced its latest operational achievement, the first eVTOL to complete two-way piloted transition – switching from helicopter mode to airplane mode and back again – under civil aviation Design Organisation Approval regulatory oversight. Vertical became the second company globally to complete a two-way piloted transition flight in a full-scale tiltrotor eVTOL and the first to do so under civil aviation Design Organisation Approval regulatory oversight
More…
To read entire report, click here
How to cite this report: Shepherd, M. (2026). UK Project Management Roundup, report, PM World Journal, Vol. XV, Issue V, May. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/pmwj164-May2026-Shepherd-UK-Regional-Report.pdf
About the Author
Dr. Miles Shepherd
Salisbury, UK
Dr. Miles Shepherd is an executive editorial advisor and international correspondent for PM World Journal in the United Kingdom. He is also managing director for MS Projects Ltd, a consulting company supporting various UK and overseas Government agencies, nuclear industry organisations and other businesses. Miles has over 30 years’ experience on a variety of projects in UK, Eastern Europe and Russia. His PM experience includes defence, major IT projects, decommissioning of nuclear reactors, nuclear security, rail and business projects for the UK Government and EU. His consulting work has taken him to Japan, Taiwan, USA and Russia. Past Chair and Fellow of the Association for Project Management (APM), Miles is also past president and chair and a Fellow of the International Project Management Association (IPMA). He was, for seven years, a Director for PMI’s Global Accreditation Centre and is immediate past Chair of the ISO committee developing new international standards for Project Management and for Program/Portfolio Management. He is currently Chairman of the British Standards Institute project management committee. He was involved in setting up APM’s team developing guidelines for project management oversight and governance. Miles is based in Salisbury, England and can be contacted at miles.shepherd@msp-ltd.co.uk.
To view other works by Miles Shepherd, visit his author showcase in the PM World Library at http://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/miles-shepherd/.
