UK in talks with Westinghouse over new nuclear power plant in Wales - The Times (updated)
24/09/2021 08:00
(Adds background, quote)
LONDON, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Britain is in talks with U.S.
nuclear reactor company Westinghouse on building a new atomic
power plant on Anglesey in Wales, The Times reported.
If it gets the go-ahead the new plant at Wylfa would be able
to generate enough electricity to power more than six million
homes and could be operational in the mid-2030s, The Times said.
Japan's Hitachi Ltd scrapped plans to build a nuclear power
plant at the Wylfa site a year ago after it failed to find
private investors or secure sufficient government support for
the project. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2GD22B
The decision left only the British arm of France's EDF and
China General Nuclear Power Corp building in the nuclear sector,
where around half of UK plants are set to close in the next few
years.
The partners are building the first UK nuclear power plant
in decades at Hinckley Point in west England, and are planning a
second in Sizewell in east England.
Nuclear power provided around 16.8% of Britain's electricity
generation in 2019, according to National Grid, while gas was
used to generate 38.4%.
The recent spike in gas prices combined with a fall in
renewable generation due to low wind speeds had underlined the
need for more nuclear capacity, The Times said, citing a
government source.
"If our current situation shows anything it is that we need
more stable home grown, low carbon generation in the UK," the
source told the newspaper. "This is an important project that
we’re very keen to try and get off the ground."
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Paul Sandle; editing by
Victor Jack and Sarah Young)
((guy.faulconbridge@thomsonreuters.com; 07825218698;))