Gareth Lewis,Wales political editorand
Steffan Messenger,Wales environment correspondent
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Work will begin next year at the Wylfa site (pictured above), with the aim of generating power by the mid 2030s
A first-of-its-kind nuclear power station is to be built on Anglesey, bringing up to 3,000 jobs and billions of pounds of investment.
The plant at Wylfa, on the Welsh island’s northern coast, will have the UK’s first three small modular reactors (SMR), although the site could potentially hold up to eight.
Work is due to start next year with the aim of generating power by the mid 2030s.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Britain was once a world leader in nuclear power but “years of neglect and inertia has meant places like Anglesey have been let down and left behind. Today, that changes.”
The project, which could power about three million homes, will be built by publicly owned Great British Energy-Nuclear and is backed by a £2.5bn investment from the UK government.
Visiting a further education college in north Wales on Thursday, Sir Keir said the development would bring jobs for “decades to come” and that work would begin “virtually straight away”.
Wales’ First Minister Eluned Morgan, who said she had been “pressing the case at every opportunity for Wylfa’s incredible benefits”.
SMRs work similarly to large reactors, using a nuclear reaction to generate heat that produces electricity – but are a fraction of the size, with about a third of the generating output.
Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, called the announcement “exciting” and said Britain is in the race for new reactors.
Speaking on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Miliband added they hope to “work with local colleges to make sure that there are local skills providers, skills training opportunities, so local people get these jobs”.
Rolls-Royce
Simon Bowen, chair of Great British Energy-Nuclear, hailed an “historic moment for the UK”.
Llinos Medi, the MP for Ynys Môn, the Welsh name for Anglesey, said it was a “game-changer” for the area “but only if local people see real and lasting benefits”.
Mims Davies MP, the Shadow Secretary of Sta
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