The UK government aims to build a large nuclear power plant in northern Wales as it seeks to boost the stable, low-carbon electricity source alongside wind farms to reach its climate goals.
Britain is starting talks with international energy companies to try and build the power plant at Wylfa on the island of Anglesey, according to a statement Wednesday. A new gigawatt-scale nuclear plant on the site would potentially be the third new large-scale atomic plant in Britain, after decades without a new facility being completed in the country.
Nuclear is critical to the UK’s goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, with the current government planning to quadruple capacity by that year.
“We are powering ahead with the biggest expansion of nuclear energy in 70 years,” said Claire Coutinho, secretary of state for energy security and net zero. “Wylfa would not only bring clean, reliable power to millions of homes – it could create thousands of well-paid jobs and bring investment to the whole of North Wales.”
So far there’s only one large-scale plant under construction, Electricite de France SA’s Hinkley Point C, which is billions of pounds over budget and years behind schedule. Another station in development, Sizewell C, is still working to get financing.
The UK agreed to buy the Wylfa site from Hitachi Ltd. Earlier this year for £160 million ($203 million). It’s an effort to revive the site after the Japanese company abandoned it nearly four years ago, despite a generous government support package to build an atomic plant there.
