A nuclear power project that could create some 9,000 construction jobs should only go ahead if its cost are competitive with renewable energy, MPs have said. The Welsh affairs committee said the £10bn Wylfa Newydd power station was important to the Isle of Anglesey’s economic future but should be built only “if the strike price is below that agreed for Hinkley Point C and competitive with renewable sources”, citing a lack of public confidence in the costs and safety of nuclear power.
Construction News 26th July 2016 read more »
The proposed 2,700 MW Wylfa Newydd nuclear power plant in North Wales should be built only if the strike price is below that agreed for EDF’s planned 3,200 MW Hinkley Point C plant, a UK parliamentary committee said Tuesday, voicing concerns of soaring nuclear plant construction costs. The report noted the UK national government’s desire to become a leader in the construction of small modular reactors, or SMRs, and suggested that the Trawsfynydd nuclear decommissioning site in Wales would be an “ideal” location for any UK SMR. Although “SMRs are not certain to be a source of low-cost power, they are an option worth exploring,” the committee said, adding that development of SMRs in the UK could support the creation of a nuclear supply chain and create jobs. “Due to its previous use as a nuclear power station, it already has available grid connections, an adequate supply of cooling water, and a skilled local workforce,” the report said. The Trawsfynydd site is home to a decommissioned 470 MW, two reactor magnox nuclear power station. In the 2015 Autumn Statement, the UK earmarked GBP250 million for SMR research as part of a competition to identify a best value design and to build an SMR in the 2020s.
Platts 26th July 2016 read more »
The developers behind Wylfa Newydd say they can deliver the project for a “fair and acceptable” strike price. Horzion Nuclear Power made the comments after a Welsh Affairs committee report said the Government should only build Wylfa Newydd if the strike price is below that agreed for the Hinkley Point C, £92.50 per megawatt hour (Mwh). If the price of electricity falls below this level, the government has in effect said it will make sure EDF receives the difference between the two prices.
Daily Post 26th July 2016 read more »