Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Nuclear planners visit Anglesey

Officials from Japanese firm Hitachi will visit Anglesey later after taking over a project to build a new nuclear power station on the island.

The Horizon development aims to build a ?8bn replacement for the Wylfa plant.

Up to 6,000 jobs could be created while the new reactors are built.

The officials will meet local groups and politicians in Llangefni after the announcement of the ?700m deal which includes a plan to build a nuclear station at Oldbury, Gloucestershire.

Wylfa was one of a number of sites which was shortlisted for a new nuclear power station last year, to replace its ageing Magnox reactor.

But in March this year, the two German companies behind the project - E.ON and RWE - announced they were pulling out.

They blamed the global economic crisis and Germany's decision to phase out nuclear power in the aftermath of the Fukushima accident in Japan.

There is some opposition to nuclear power on Anglesey and there is likely to be controversy as other countries reconsider their nuclear power plans in the light of Fukushima.

'Excellent news'

Welsh Secretary David Jones called it a "huge boost" while First Minister Carwyn Jones said it was "very good news for Wales and the UK".

Richard Foxhall, the stakeholders relations manager for Horizon, told BBC Radio Wales that workers welcomed the news.

"Since the announcement yesterday, for myself and for my colleagues in Horizon we are absolutely over the moon because we don't have to go looking for new jobs," he said.

"It was seen very much as a going concern and the work that's been put in by our staff really made sure that we were a good asset to put on the market.

"We are all absolutely delighted by the result."

He added that the workforce was "bursting" to find out the plans for the future.

Anglesey council leader Bryan Owen said the deal was a "massive boost" to the island's economy and that of north Wales, while local MP Albert Owen said it was "an important step forward".

However, there will be a gap of several years between the old plant stopping producing electricity and the new one becoming operational.

The existing Wylfa plant, which has been producing energy since 1971, is set to continue generating electricity until the fuel runs out or September 2014, whichever comes first.

The Horizon project under E.ON and RWE expected Wylfa B to start producing electricity around 2020 but Hitachi's plans now mention "the first half of the 2020s".

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-20150796#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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