Government revives Wylfa site for nuclear development

The government has identified Wylfa in Anglesey as its preferred site for the third of the UK’s proposed new large new nuclear power stations.

The site on Ynys Mon has been earmarked by the government as a prospective site for one of the next generation of GW-scale nuclear power plants since the 2011 National Policy Statement.

The island was the site of a twin reactor Magnox plant from 1971 to 2015 when generation shut down.

More recently, Hitachi developed plans for a 2.9GW nuclear power plant on the site but stopped work on the project in 2019 amidst the Japanese company concerns about the UK’s post-Brexit economic future and the level of support that the government was willing to offer.

However, the purchase of Wylfa and Gloucestershire’s Oldbury sites by the government’s Great British Nuclear (GBN) agency has cleared the way for other firms to take over in north Wales.

The government has said it is exploring with global energy firms the construction of a major nuclear power station on a similar scale to EDF’s Hinkley and Sizewell projects, which are currently in construction and planning respectively.

The Financial Times has recently reported that the government has been in talks with South Korean utility Kepco, which owns and operates nuclear stations in the Gulf as well as its home country, about taking on Wylfa.

The government has said Wylfa’s location on the North Wales coast means it is ‘ideally-suited’ to host a major nuclear station given its proximity to cooling water and Ynys Mon’s nuclear heritage.

Gwen Parry-Jones, CEO of GBN said: “Having agreed to purchase the Wylfa site earlier this year, GBN looks forward to working with the government on the market engagement programme for large scale gigawatt providers and also delivering this vital project in the years to come.”

Sue Ferns senior deputy general secretary of the Prospect union said: “Wylfa represents the best site in Europe for a large-scale nuclear power station. With this announcement this has now been recognised by the UK government.

“Now we need a laser-like focus on delivery of new nuclear to make sure skills and experience are not lost, and costs are reduced as we progress.2

Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industries Association, said: “The government is absolutely right to pursue more large-scale nuclear alongside the SMR programme: it is proven technology that delivers clean, sovereign power and can transform communities with thousands of high-quality, long-term jobs and apprenticeships. Wylfa is an ideal place for a big nuclear project, and the community knows nuclear.

“We welcome the government’s engagement with potential partners internationally, and we urge them to move forward at pace. A large-scale project at Wylfa would be the single biggest inward investment in Welsh history, and a huge step towards both energy security and net zero for the whole country.”