Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station

In 2008, the government decided that new nuclear sites should be constructed on existing sites to replace the UK's ageing fleet of reactors.[3] In 2010, the government revealed that Wylfa was one of the 8 sites that it intended to allow the development to occur at.[4]

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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7]

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.[8] 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.[9][10][11]

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.[12] Following this, Westinghouse and Hitachi both placed bids for the firm, with Hitachi winning the bidding and buying Horizon for £700 million.[13][14]

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 (GDA), in order to get approval for the reactor to operate in the UK.[15] The ABWR design finished the UK Generic design assessment in December 2017.[16]

Hitachi intended to commence construction on the site from 2014, with major construction works to commence during 2018–2019;[17] 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.[18]

In September 2020, Hitachi announced its withdrawal from the project and from the sister site at Oldbury. It will close down its development activities, but will work with the UK government and other stakeholders to facilitate future options for the two sites.[19] The decision deadline for the Development Consent Order was subsequently postponed until 31 December 2020, to allow Horizon time to pursue discussions with unnamed parties interested in nuclear new build at Wylfa.[20]

On 30 September 2020, following reports that the US nuclear giant Westinghouse was among the interested parties, Welsh Government Economy Minister Ken Skates confirmed that there was US interest in reviving plans for the site. Westinghouse had lost out in a bid for the site to Hitachi in 2012, and would likely use the AP1000 reactor which had already passed the GDA process when the firm was involved in the Moorside nuclear power station project.[21][22] On 10 November 2020, it emerged that a US consortium led by engineering group Bechtel was engaged in discussions to resume the Wylfa project[23] and was pitching it as a 'levelling up' opportunity, something that Boris Johnson has made one of his top priorities.[24] If a deal is reached, activity would resume rapidly at the Wylfa site, as the consortium aims to provide electricity to the national grid on a similar timescale to that proposed by Horizon, at a market competitive price, despite a switch in reactor technology. The consortium, which also includes US utilities provider Southern Company and Westinghouse, received strong support from the Trump administration, which had repeatedly urged the UK not to pursue nuclear deals with China.[25] A deal would need to be reached with Hitachi for the consortium to acquire the site, and the plans would also be contingent on the funding model to be introduced by the government for large nuclear projects in the UK.[26] The deadline for the Development Consent Order decision was subsequently further deferred until 30 April 2021 to allow talks to continue.[27]

On 28 January 2021, Hitachi formally withdrew its Development Consent Order application. The UK Government indicated that it would "continue to explore future opportunities" for the site.[28]

A PAWB (People Against Wylfa-B) protest in Llangefni in 2017

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:[47]

• 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

• Nuclear power in the United Kingdom
• Energy policy of the United Kingdom
• Energy in the United Kingdom
• List of nuclear reactors § United Kingdom
• Proposed nuclear power stations in the United Kingdom
• Wylfa Nuclear Power Station
• Horizon Nuclear Power