The government will today make an announcement on the planning application for the £20bn Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station, on Anglesey. Last week, developer Horizon Nuclear Power withdrew from the project after talks with the government about an alternative funding mechanism broke down. However, the planning application has not been withdrawn, meaning energy secretary Alok Sharma must either grant a development consent order (DCO), reject the application or apply for an extension to make his decision. The Planning Inspectorate filed its report to Sharma’s office in July 2019. The government has since delayed its decision on two occasions, with a ruling originally scheduled for October last year. That deadline was adjusted to March this year but was further delayed due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Other potential developers will also be keeping a close eye on the ruling. NCE understands that the DCO application could be taken on by a third party, should one be willing to step in. A new developer would be able to make minor changes to Horizon’s DCO, however any major changes would require a new DCO application to be filed.
New Civil Engineer 30th Sept 2020 read more »