Plans to bring a mini-nuclear station to Gwynedd have taken a step forward. Cwmni Egino, which is the company behind a proposal to develop the former nuclear power station in Trawsfynydd, has said it has completed its first phase of development work.
It said this confirmed the viability of deploying Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) at the site. Bosses added that land owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) could be suitable for a range of SMR technologies with the potential to generate up to 1GW of electricity, North Wales Live reports.
It is estimated that SMRs at Trawsfynydd could create over 400 long-term jobs in the local area and contribute £600m to the north west Wales economy, and £1.3bn for the whole of Wales during over an operational life of 60 years. It would also create thousands of additional jobs during the construction stage, as well as through the Welsh and UK supply chains. You can get more local news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
Read more: Concerns over 'major obstacles' for a new nuclear power station in Wales
Cwmni Egino has set its sights on being the first SMR project approved by the UK Government with construction starting before the end of the decade. It comes after Welsh Members of Parliament expressed their concerns over the future of nuclear energy developments in Wales.
Last week, the Welsh Affairs Committee, which consists of MPs from various parties in Wales, said that they were of the view that new nuclear could be a "game-changer" for the north Wales economy. However, the report found that there were "major obstacles" before sites such as Wylfa on Anglesey could be home to a gigawatt-scale nuclear power station. You can read more about their review here.
The chief executive of Cwmni Egino, Alan Raymant, said: "In addition to meeting our energy needs and net zero targets, deploying SMRs at Trawsfynydd offers a huge inward investment opportunity for Wales. This is aligned with key policies and priorities of both the UK and Welsh Governments.
"We believe that Trawsfynydd presents the first, most credible opportunity to kick start a long-term programme of SMR projects in the UK, and catalyse significant economic growth locally, regionally and nationally. Cwmni Egino provides a development vehicle to drive this forward.
"Our plans are more advanced than other sites suited to small scale nuclear, and the work we’ve done over the past 12 months gives us added confidence that we can successfully deliver a project at Traws."
The company is yet to select a technology partner for the project, and wants to work with Great British Nuclear (GBN), the recently formed UK Government body tasked with leading the UK SMR technology competition. Mr Raymant added: "We’ve already been in discussions with a number of technology providers and there is significant interest in deploying SMR at Trawsfynydd.
"We will work closely with GBN over the coming months to confirm the technology solution that best suits Trawsfynydd within the overall selection process for the UK. The other key area of focus for us now is to secure Government commitment to the next phase of the project. In particular, we need confirmation that Trawsfynydd is one of the projects GBN wants to be developed. This will give us the certainty that we need to unlock this opportunity and access additional development funding."
Welsh Government Economy Minister Vaughan Gething said: “It’s great news Cwmni Egino has completed the first phase of its work at Trawsfynydd and that genuine progress is being made towards realising the company’s ambition to begin deploying small modular reactors on site by the end the decade.
"We established Cwmni Egino in 2021 so it could lay the groundwork to achieving significant socio-economic benefits for north west Wales and to ensure it achieves this, it’s vitally important Great British Nuclear now engages meaningfully with Cwmni Egino so Trawsfynydd is formally selected as the first SMR site in the UK."
Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: "This is an important step for the future of nuclear in North West Wales. Trawsfynydd has a strong nuclear tradition and there’s a real opportunity to revitalise the industry to bring good, highly-skilled jobs and investment to the area.
"Small Modular Reactors will have a potentially vital part to play in providing clean energy for Wales and the rest of the UK, powering homes and industries in communities up and down the country. It's important that organisations like Cwmni Egino are given the right support so new nuclear projects can mature."
READ NEXT:
- Welsh Government spends £800k on credit cards including swanky restaurant and hotel payments
- Nurses to strike in Wales again after rejecting 'final' Welsh Government pay offer
- The empty car park that shows just how difficult solving Wales’ M4 problem is
- Drone footage shows massive Ffos y Fran coal mine still running after it was ordered to close
- Too many young people leave school in Wales without being 'functionally literate', inspectors warn
