Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station

Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station, also known as Wylfa B, is a proposed project to construct a 2,700 MWe nuclear power station with two ABWR reactors in Anglesey, Wales.[1] The project is owned by Horizon Nuclear Power which is a subsidiary of Hitachi,[2] who are also the main shareholder in Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, the supplier of the reactors for the project.

See also: Wylfa Nuclear Power Station
Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station (WND)
CountryWales, United Kingdom
LocationAnglesey
Coordinates53.417°N 4.483°W / 53.417; -4.483
StatusProposed
Construction cost£15 Billion
Owner(s)Horizon Nuclear Power
Operator(s)Horizon Nuclear Power
Nuclear power station
Reactor typeUK ABWR
Reactor supplierHitachi-GE Nuclear Energy
Power generation
Units planned2
Nameplate capacity2.7 GW
External links
Websitehttps://www.horizonnuclearpower.com/our-sites/wylfa-newydd

As of July 2019, the project is stalled as Horizon looks for a method of funding the project.[3]

History

In 2008, the government decided that new nuclear sites should be constructed on existing sites to replace the UK's ageing fleet of reactors.[4] In 2010, the government revealed that Wylfa was one of the 8 sites that it intended to allow the development to occur at.[5]

Horizon Nuclear Power was set up on 14 January 2009 by E.ON UK and RWE npower as a 50:50 joint venture, with the aim to develop at least 6 GW of nuclear capacity in the UK.[6] Following the establishment of the joint venture, the UK government set up an auction for three of the sites, Wylfa, Oldbury and Bradwell. The company announced that it had put forward plans to develop new nuclear generation facilities at all three of the sites.[7] The UK government announced that Horizon won the auction at two of the sites, Wylfa and Oldbury, whilst EDF Energy had won the third site, Bradwell.[8]

Horizon and Areva announced on 2 August 2010 that they had signed an Early Work Agreement for site specific design studies on Areva's EPR reactor which it at the time was considering on building at the site.[9] If the EPR design had been built at the site, it is likely that 2 reactors would have been constructed. Horizon also announced that they had commissioned Westinghouse for preparatory design studies of its AP1000 reactor, which was also a reactor being considered for construction at the site.[10][11][12]

Following separate strategic reviews, RWE and EON decided not to continue with the development of new nuclear power stations in the UK through their Horizon joint venture, citing the cost of Germany's nuclear phase-out as one of the reasons for their decision. The partners said they will seek buyers for Horizon to allow the projects to continue.[13] Following this, Westinghouse and Hitachi both placed bids for the firm, with Hitachi winning the bidding and buying Horizon for £700 million.[14][15]

Hitachi announced its intention to construct two to three Advanced boiling water reactors at the site and submitted its design to the Office for Nuclear Regulation for a generic design assessment, in order to get approval for the reactor to operate in the UK.[16] The ABWR design finished the UK Generic design assessment in December 2017.[17]

Hitachi intended to commence construction on the site from 2014, with major construction works to commence during 2018–2019;[18] however, as of June 2020, due to many delays in the project, mainly due to funding disputes, construction has not commenced as the project has yet to find financial backing from the UK government.[19]

Timeline
StageStatusDate CompletedNotes
Statement of community consultationCompletedSeptember 2014[20]
Stage 1 consultationCompleted8 December 2014[21]
Updated statement of community consultationCompletedJanuary 2016[22]
Stage 2 consultationCompleted25 October 2016[23]
Stage 3 consultationCompleted22 June 2017[24]
Application submissionIn ProgressJune 2018[25]
DecisionNot Yet Started-
ConstructionNot Yet Started-
OperationNot Yet Sarted-

Construction


Design

Wylfa Newydd is expected to use two advanced boiling water reactors that have an output of around 1350 MW each to provide a combined output of 2700 MW. The ABWR design was submitted to the Office for Nuclear Regulation in the UK so that it could undergo the Generic design assessment in 2013, once Hitachi had signalled that it intended to continue the developing the site.[26] The ABWR design finished the UK Generic design assessment in December 2017.[27]

Lifetime stages

Stage One: Site Preparation and Clearance

- Clearing the site and preparing it for development.

Stage Two: Main Construction

- Constructing the Power Station, including the nuclear reactor buildings and the majority of supporting buildings, facilities, plant and structures, the MOLF, and the two breakwaters.

Stage Three: Commissioning and Operation

- Testing and operating the Power Station as well as the construction of radioactive waste storage facilities.

Stage Four: Decommissioning

- Converting the site into an end state to be agreed with the relevant authorities and regulators.

Funding

Possible cancellation of the project

In January 2019, it was reported that the nuclear plant's funding was questionable, after £2 billion had been spent on the project.[28][29] The reports noted that a dispute between the proposed plant’s builder Hitachi and the UK government over funding had thrown the future construction into doubt, and that an upcoming meeting later in the month would be the location of an announcement regarding the plant’s future.[30]

On 17 January 2019, Hitachi announced that it would "suspend" work on the Wylfa project. Duncan Hawthorne, chief executive of Horizon Nuclear Power, said: "...we will take steps to reduce our presence but keep the option to resume development in future".[31] The UK government had been expected to grant a development consent order in a move to restart the project,[32] but subsequently deferred the decision deadline until 31 March 2020, which was then pushed further back to 30 September 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[33] A spokesperson for Hitachi said that they were disappointed in the delay, but that it was "not unexpected given the current national circumstances".[34]

On 6 August 2020, Horizon responded to the Financial Times who had produced an article on the role of china in British nuclear as well as the role of nuclear in net zero,[35] by saying that,

We strongly agree on nuclear's key role in hitting Net Zero, as covered in today's Financial Times, and Wylfa Newydd can be a big part of that low carbon future. With the right funding model in place, we're ready to remobilise and restart our crucial project on the best new build site in the UK. Substantive progress has already been made at Wylfa Newydd which has the capacity to provide enough clean power to effectively meet all of Wales' electricity demand, a tried and tested reactor technology, world-leading international partners, a competitive price, and a supportive community. It will bring transformative economic benefits for Anglesey, Wales and the UK.[36]

Criticism and organised opposition

One opposition to Wylfa Newyyd is the local group, People Against Wylfa-B (PAWB), which is completely against the Wylfa development.

Some of the group's main arguments against the development are as follows:[37]

  • The funding would be better spent on renewable energy
  • The funding will be a waste of taxpayers' money, as German firms EON and RWE could not find funding for the project
  • The cost of electricity would increase as a result of the construction as the build would be subsidised
  • The health risks are too great as the site would be radioactive for years to come and the number of cancer rates would increase
  • The economic benefits to the area are minimal

US concerns

In June 2020, The Sunday Times reported that the US government had warned Hitachi not to sell Horizon to Chinese companies over security concerns, as China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) had been convicted of nuclear espionage in the US.[38] Horizon responded that there were no such plans, and stated "We don't comment on speculation. Our focus remains on securing the conditions necessary to restart this crucial project, which would bring transformative economic benefits to the region and play a huge role in helping deliver the UK's climate change commitments."[39][40]

See also

References
  1. "WYLFA NEWYDD – ABOUT OUR SITE". Horizon Nuclear Power. Horizon Nuclear Power. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  2. "Wylfa B: Hitachi takes over Horizon nuclear project". BBC News. 26 November 2012.
  3. "Nuclear funding proposal 'essential' for restarting Wylfa". BBC News. 23 July 2019.
  4. "New nuclear plants get go-ahead". BBC News. 10 January 2008.
  5. "Nuclear power: Eight sites identified for future plants". BBC News. 18 October 2010.
  6. "RWE and E.ON form joint venture to build UK nuclear power stations" (PDF). Horizon Nuclear Power. Horizon Nuclear Power. 14 January 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  7. "RWE and E.ON in joint bid for UK nuclear sites". Reuters. 26 March 2009.
  8. "German and French utilities win bids for UK nuclear sites". Media Power Systems. 5 May 2009.
  9. "AREVA AND HORIZON NUCLEAR POWER SIGN EARLY WORK AGREEMENT IN THE UNITED KINGDOM". Areva. Areva. 2 August 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  10. Vern Pitt (30 October 2012). "Five years before construction can begin on Horizon nuclear". Building. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  11. "Laing O'Rourke team wins early deal on Horizon nuclear plant". Construction News. 3 August 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  12. "Horizon signs early work agreements with Areva and Westinghouse". Nuclear Engineering. 3 August 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  13. "RWE, EOn pull plug on UK nuclear plans". World Nuclear News. World Nuclear News. 29 March 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  14. "Hitachi buys UK nuclear project from E.On and RWE". BBC News. 30 October 2012.
  15. "Westinghouse and Hitachi bid for Horizon Nuclear Power". HazardEX. HazardEX. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  16. "ABWR set for UK design assessment". Nuclear engineering international. 21 January 2013.
  17. "ABWR completes UK GDA process". Nuclear engineering international. 15 December 2017.
  18. "Pre-Application Consultation - Stage One". Horizon Nuclear Power Consultation. Horizon Nuclear Power. 29 September 2014. p. 5. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  19. "Wylfa nuclear project: Donald Trump plea over site sale dismissed". BBC News. 28 June 2020.
  20. "Statement of Community Consultation" (PDF). Horizon Nuclear Power. Horizon Nuclear Power. September 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  21. "Phase one consultation". Horizon Nuclear Power Consultation. Horizon Nuclear Power. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  22. "Summary of Pre-Application Consultation Stage One Feedback". Horizon Nuclear Power Consultation. Horizon Nuclear Power. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  23. "Stage Two Consultation". Horizon Nuclear Power Consultation. Horizon Nuclear Power. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  24. "Stage Three Consultation". Horizon Nuclear Power Consultation. Horizon Nuclear Power. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  25. "Development Consent Order (DCO)". Horizon Nuclear Power Consultation. Horizon Nuclear Power. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  26. "ABWR set for UK design assessment". Nuclear engineering international. 21 January 2013.
  27. "ABWR completes UK GDA process". Nuclear engineering international. 15 December 2017.
  28. "Horizon's £1.7bn pre-tax loss after Wylfa plan shelved". BBC News. 5 January 2019.
  29. Vaughan, Adam (10 December 2018). "UK's nuclear plans in doubt after report Welsh plant may be axed". The Guardian.
  30. Johnston, Chris (11 January 2019). "Hitachi weighs pulling out of Welsh nuclear power plant". The Telegraph.
  31. "Hitachi to suspend work on £20bn nuclear reactor in Wales". Sky News. 17 January 2019.
  32. Dalton, David (24 October 2019). "Wylfa Newydd / UK Delays Decision on Planning Permission". The Independent Global Nuclear News Agency.
  33. Dalton, David (2 April 2020). "Wylfa Newydd / Decision on UK Nuclear Plant Put Back Until September". The Independent Global Nuclear News Agency.
  34. "Wylfa Newydd planning decision delayed again". Nuclear engineering international. 6 April 2020.
  35. "China tensions raise doubts over UK nuclear projects". Financial Times. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  36. "Horizon Commits to Wylfa project". Twitter. Horizon Nuclear Power. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  37. "PAWB - Facts". Stop Wylfa. People against Wylfa B. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  38. "Spy warning on Chinese nuclear company". The Week. 25 October 2018. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019.
  39. "U.S. warns Hitachi not to sell U.K. nuclear project to China". The Japan Times. 30 June 2020.
  40. "Wylfa nuclear project: Donald Trump plea over site sale dismissed". BBC News. 28 June 2020.
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