Four micro nuclear plants planned for Wales
Martin Shipton
A rapidly expanding US company that specialises in building micro modular nuclear power plants has announced plans to develop four such units in Bridgend County Borough.
Last Energy’s proposal – which will inevitably be controversial – will see the 20MW plants built on a vacant site that housed the coal-fired Llynfi Power Station from 1950 until 1977, when it was decommissioned.
The four proposed units would serve local industrial customers.
Last Energy has already obtained site control, begun to conduct site surveys, and initiated the planning process. The firm says its plants “would aim to deliver power to mid-size manufacturers throughout south Wales, providing 24/7 baseload power and putting the local economy on a path toward industrial decarbonisation”.
Last Energy aims to deliver the first plant by 2027, depending on the licensing and planning processes.
Grid restraints
According to the company, the plants’ annual output would be equivalent to the amount of energy consumed by around 244,000 UK homes per year, alleviating grid restraints and contributing to the Welsh Government’s 2030 net zero targets as well as national climate goals.
Last Energy says it will not require public funding for the development, and estimates an overall capital investment of £300m in equipment, services, and other development-related activities. The company plans to source at least 10% of its needs from south Wales suppliers, translating to a £30m local economic investment – not including business rates collected by Bridgend council – and at least 100 local full-time jobs.
Public engagement
Following briefings with Bridgend council and the Welsh Government, Last Energy will now begin public engagement for the project. The company has launched a website where the public can learn more about its plans, and will begin hosting a series of local community events later this year.
In addition to engaging the local community, Last Energy says it will begin to identify potential local suppliers for the project. The company will host events for prospective suppliers on November 5 in Cardiff and November 6 in Swansea to discuss its procurement process.
In addition to manufacturers for plant fabrication, Last Energy will look for companies to help with on-site plant installation, maintenance, and security.
Michael Jenner, CEO of Last Energy UK, said: “Last Energy’s Llynfi project will not only transform a vacant coal site into a hub for clean energy production, it will also create economic opportunity for companies throughout south Wales. The benefits of nuclear power speak for themselves, so our focus must be on delivering those benefits on time and on budget.
“Last Energy’s emphasis on mass-manufacturability allows us to deliver significantly smaller plants in under 24 months with purely private financing. We look forward to engaging with the public, meeting local suppliers, and being an active partner in south Wales’ path towards energy security and industrial decarbonisation.”
Tom Greatrex, CEO of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: “New nuclear is an integral part of a future power system – providing secure, reliable and always available electricity to consumers. Increasingly, industries are looking to nuclear to provide that reliable and price predictable heat and power as they seek to decarbonise. Potential projects such as that proposed by Last Energy, with an innovative business model of direct to industry power and co-location, will be required if deep decarbonisation is to become a reality rather than a slogan.”
Opportunities
A spokesperson for Great British Nuclear said: “Last Energy’s announcement shows the wide range of opportunities for nuclear energy to power the UK’s growth.
“New nuclear is a vital part of Britain’s energy future. As well as large-scale power stations like Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C, and the Small Modular Reactors Great British Nuclear is in the process of selecting, these kinds of even smaller reactors can supply heat and power to industries of the future. They are set to drive development and innovation, and significantly reduce industrial carbon emissions, which will be of huge benefit to the UK’s economy and will play a significant part in our clean air future.”
A company spokesperson said: “Last Energy’s mission is to drive a rapid global transition toward affordable clean energy by productising nuclear development. A Last Energy plant, referred to as the PWR-20, consists of a few dozen modules that are assembled like a LEGO kit. It requires minimal land. The PWR-20 is designed to be fabricated, transported, and assembled within 24 months, and is sized to serve private industrial customers.
“As a full-service developer, Last Energy owns and operates its plug-and-play power plant on the customer’s site, bypassing the decade-long development timelines of electric transmission grid upgrade requirements. The company intentionally relies on existing supply chains and uses the same reactor technology found in over 300 plants worldwide.
Commercial agreements
Last Energy currently has commercial agreements for 80 units throughout Europe, most of which will be developed throughout the UK.
“Last Energy’s flagship product, the PWR-20 micro-nuclear power plant, is designed to address the inefficiencies that have traditionally made nuclear development prohibitively complex and expensive. By owning all aspects of plant delivery and dramatically reducing the time and cost of construction, Last Energy is transforming the nuclear power industry to unlock clean, reliable baseload energy for industrial customers throughout Europe.”
Greenpeace opposes all forms of nuclear energy. A statement on the organisation’s website says: “Nuclear energy is also dangerous. We’re still living with the legacy of accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima which released huge amounts of radioactive material. Even without such accidents, nuclear power creates radioactive waste at every stage of production, including uranium mining and reprocessing of spent reactor fuel. Some of this waste will remain dangerously radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years, yet nobody knows of a way to safely store it so problems aren’t created for future generations.
“The UK Government’s hopes for a new generation of nuclear power stations is crashing against the economic realities. As the cost of truly clean energy plummets and the price of nuclear energy spirals out of control, nuclear power companies are shelving their plans to build plants in the UK.
“Instead of backing nuclear power, our government needs to invest in renewable energy including wind and solar power. A thriving renewable energy industry will create jobs, provide cheaper electricity and help cut emissions much faster than nuclear power.”
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A startup and a nuclear reactor, what can go wrong. Llynfi and Ogmore rivers stuffed now.
Pass the potassium iodide.
Crazy Labour would do all in its power to help the UK to Cymru’s assets:
At the expense of the safety and interests of the people of Cymru.
No nuclear power !!!
Our future is wind, solar and tidal power.
Rather hoping that planning will not be allowed. Major population centres all around this.
But then we have a council I don’t really trust.
Gwladychu economaidd. Hen ddiwydiant budur a militaraidd. Nid ar ddaear Cymru yn yr hon y mae ein saint yn gorffwys. Ffei ohonoch, gywion annwfn.
Mae rhan fwyf o cenhedloedd Ewrop sydd yn defnyddio ynni atomig ddim efo arfau niwclear. Mae 56% o trydan Slovakia, cenedl bach fel Cymru, yn dod o ynni atomig.
Slovakia has nuclear ambitions. They are one of the few nation states not to have signed the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Furthermore, In 2016, Slovakia voted against the UN General Assembly resolution that established the formal mandate for states to commence negotiations on “a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination”.
They need their nuclear sector in order to help them develop their nuclear capabilities.
Neither has the UK signed the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
When is all this going to end? We already produce twice as much power than we need-build them in England, they need the energy
Yes but a large chunk of that is generated by natural gas power stations such as Connah Quay power station and Pembroke power station, which will be retired in the coming decades and are dependent on finite natural gas and contribute to climate change, while these SMRs wouldn’t.
Where wind farms, solar and tidal power will generate more than enough of our electric power for ourselves and to export for hard currency.
These nuclear plants will be owned and controlled from outside Wales.
We as people will never see any benefit from nuclear.
Except continual energy and jobs.
The renewables being built are also owned by private companies, most of Wales’s renewable energy is generated by RWE, a German energy company. These reactors would bring jobs, as someone who has just finished their engineering studies the jobs that were supposed to materialise with Wylfa Newydd and the SMRs at Trawsfynydd would have meant employment for me and other young people in those communities.
Yet these SMR’s and even mini SMRs will not be built for at least another 30 years. Last energy haven’t even passed stage one of the design approvals yet. – not even submitted them. It will take at least five years for approval, and then another 10 to 15 years planning, and then build and commission which will be at least 10 years – probably far longer. If these ever get built then we won’t see them commissioned until at the earliest 2054. By then renewable sources will have tumbled in price producing the vast majority of our energy needs… Read more »
Your last sentence is the only bit I fall out with. The much heralded fall in prices never happens. It doesn’t matter whether the assets and business are privately owned or state owned the same thing happens. Those running the enterprise will want more money to spend whether it’s capex, maintenance, or just on themselves. You don’t believe me, well just look at what’s being going on over recent decades and explain why executive greed has not been stopped.
Yes a lot of the gas now used is imported ie lpg into Milford haven so all the wealth in buying this is lost to wales and the uk funding Middle East suppliers so what we now need is a mixture of nuclear wind solar and tidal generated here and the wealth generated here in the uk can benefit everyone here.
Every time we fill up our cars or turn on the gas boiler we are losing wealth to other countries let’s build up our own generating capacity and benefit wales and the uk!
How do manage the nuclear waste when we are running out of space to store it. And we have to store for 100,000 years so it is hardly a safe form of electricity. Build the severe tidal barrage, place solar panels on all roof tops build windfarms around existing business centres and farmland and store surplus energy in reservoirs for hydroelectric generation when needed.
you use thorium as the fuel it`s a lot cleaner you can find out about it on the net
We don’t need this. It’s that simple! We already export 50% of our electricity production! We need to increase the renewable element of this not polluting nuclear.
Let’s ignore the fact that these small plants produce more waste pro rata than larger ones and just add to the 7 decades’ worth of toxic and hazardous waste nuclear power stations have already produced shall we?
When large infrastructure projects are announced that benefits the National Grid i e England , billions can be plucked from thin air. But for some strange reason, don’t ask me why, were not there to fair fund or give Wales its HS2 consequential stolen? Answers on a postcard please to: UK Labour HQ. Magic Money Tree way. Westminster. London. England.
Put some in Oxfordshire, the Cotswolds and Buckinghamshier and perhaps I’ll believe you when you claim its clean energy
Perhaps Martin could show us all a PWR-20 that’s been built and is actually generating electricity.
A causal search shows up many red flags for me, not least no working anything yet but loads of contracts. The person behind this wants to wean everyone off coal and onto nuclear.
Also in the mix here is an open source project for nuclear power plants.
But the number of contracts globally, wow. Bridgend Council better get the longer bargepole out.
Excellent news.
Local industrial sites? The railway line wasn’t electrified west of Cardiff by order of the British Government. What are these nuclear power stations really for?
Faking net zero with worse waste. Building in little England, the places that refused wind farms onshore. Time we invested in solar on all homes, wind power and tidal and other more ambitious methods than the tried and trashed land that is nuclear. It won’t drop the prices, never does. It will probably employ few also. So not good reason to waste money on this here.
you left out the hot air generated by the senate
Nuclear energy is NOT green or carbon neutral. Z
Bring it on. I’d rather get rid of all these windmills. Ghastly,unsightly abominations that have NOT made energy cheaper. Time to give something else a chance……and you lot stop moaning.