WQ91794 (e) Tabled on 07/03/2024

What assessment has the Minister made of the impact of the UK Government's purchase of the Wlyfa site on proposals for a new nuclear power plant on Ynys Môn?

Answered by Minister for Economy | Answered on 19/03/2024

The recent announcement that the UK Government has reached an agreement with Hitachi for the purchase of the Wylfa site is a welcome step in the right direction, but the site’s purchase alone is not enough to significantly change the current status quo.

Clarity is required on how any future project is to be brought forward - by whom, by when, at what scale, using what technology, what UK Government support will be available, either directly or via GBN etc. - before the impact of a new project can be assessed.

We have always been ready to discuss actions to support a new project on the Wylfa site. For Hitachi’s Wylfa Newydd project we, on the one hand, developed an approach to support a range of interventions that helped maximise regional socio-economic benefits, while on the other, sought a raft of mitigation measures to compensate local public services expected to bear the brunt of the project’s more challenging impacts.