Prime Minister urged to site new nuclear power plant on Anglesey
The Chair of Westminster’s Welsh Affairs Committee has written to the Prime Minister seeking a commitment to build a new nuclear power plant at Wylfa on Anglesey.
Stephen Crabb has also raised concerns about the lack of progress on the UK Government’s British Energy Security Strategy, which was published last April and outlined plans for a significant expansion in the number of nuclear power stations.
In his letter, written ahead of the Spring Budget, Mr Crabb has outlined representations made to the Committee’s ‘Nuclear energy in Wales’ inquiry.
MPs have collected evidence from a wide range of stakeholders, many of whom are calling for greater clarity on how the UK Government will meet its aims to generate 24GW of nuclear energy by 2050; and arguing for the swift establishment of Great British Nuclear to drive the programme forward.
The Preseli Pembrokeshire MP wants the UK Government’s next nuclear power station, after Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C, to be built at Wylfa on Anglesey, stating that by doing so, highly skilled and well-paid long-term jobs will be brought to a rural area.
Positive signals
Mr Crabb said: “The UK Government’s British Energy Security Strategy sent positive demand signals to the nuclear energy sector. But since its publication in April last year, we have heard very little as to how the target to generate 24GW of nuclear energy by 2050 will be accomplished.
“Nuclear energy could hold the answer to reliable baseload as we transition away from oil and gas. With mounting household bills and the spiralling costs of fossil fuels, there is a unique opportunity to galvanise the low-carbon energy sectors.
Instead, the nuclear energy sector has been waiting to know the ‘when and where’ for nuclear power stations in the UK.
“By siting the UK’s next nuclear power station at Wylfa, highly skilled, long-term jobs will be supported in a rural area of the UK. I urge the UK Government to act now, and to launch Great British Nuclear to drive progress forwards.”
Last year, Rolls-Royce confirmed it wanted to site a new mini nuclear reactor in the north of Wales.
Reports suggested it was considering buying the Wylfa site outright from Hitachi, which abandoned plans to build a large reactor there two years ago after failing to reach a funding deal with the UK Government on the construction and start-up costs of the plant.
The original Wylfa power station became operational in 1971 and started decommissioning in 2015.
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There is no further capacity in the north Wales grid, and there are already plans to build pylons the entire length of Wales from Pentir substation, near Bangor, to Swansea North substation, just to bring power from Scottish wind farms to south Wales. Unless a commitment is given to an offshore grid then GW scale nuclear in north Wales will require two new lines of pylons along the whole north Wales coast However, Sizewell C is getting a subsea connection, so that sets a precedent Wales can generate sufficient power for net zero using just offshore wind, regenerate ports and… Read more »
No new nuclear in Wales. We already create 2x more power than we use and we don’t have the grid capacity to handle any more. Put your nuclear plants in the home counties England. Stay out of Wales.
If these Tory’s are so concerned about the UK’s energy security, why don’t they re nationalise all the utilities they sold off to foreign governments and companies. They just don’t care, as proved by the way they let the gas reserve run out, that was maintained for decades in case of a shortage More hypocrisy, and a willingness to let Cymru have the dirty work, that is not acceptable to be sited in the “home counties”.
Nuclear Power is a dead technology. Trying to make it more economic by using any Combined Heat & Power systems did not work as it is not controllable.as the Ukraine found in 1986 when it was forced on them. Nuclear is uneconomic and too dangerous for Wales. Secondly, where are we importing Uranium and what to do with the spent waste. Germany will not be building any more nuclear plants for those very reasons. This policy from the UK is just another attempt to make us conform to UK domination. The Welsh Labour party and government should wake-up to this… Read more »
Just what those pesky Welsh need! A smack of firm gummint from our Tory friends in Westminster. Something we don’t need (we have renewable energy coming out our ears) and don’t want, obviously an ideal opportunity for some imperialistic bullying in support of a dangerous technology that would help extract even more of our resources, notably the talent we need to rebuild our country after the ravages of English misrule. Tories out! Nuclear out!
Yeah, bloody foreigners (Welsh)
No more nuclear power generation. Expensive and dangerous.
Remember Three Mile Island and Chernoble?
Jobs will go to highly qualified incomers and not those from the closed Six Sisters poulty processing plant.
The incomers may well be named Jones it is after all the second most common last name in England.