The UK government has selected Wylfa in Anglesey as the preferred location for the country’s third mega-nuclear power station.
Located on the North Wales coast, Wylfa is an ideal site for the proposed facility due to its access to cooling water and its nuclear heritage, said the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
The new large-scale gigawatt nuclear power plant proposed at the location is expected to deliver reliable and clean energy for around six million households for six decades.
It will be built on a similar scale to the Hinkley Point nuclear plant in Somerset and the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk.
Besides, the new nuclear power plant in Wylfa is anticipated to generate thousands of jobs as well as bring investment to the area, thereby bolstering the local economy.
The nuclear facility will also support the UK to achieve its goal of having up to 25% of its projected electricity requirements met by domestic nuclear power by 2050. This will help enhance the energy independence of the country.
UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Claire Coutinho said: “We are powering ahead with the biggest expansion of nuclear energy in 70 years.
“Anglesey has a proud nuclear history and it is only right that, once again, it can play a central role in boosting the UK’s energy security.
“Wylfa would not only bring clean, reliable power to millions of homes – it could create thousands of well-paid jobs and bring investment to the local area.”
The British government said that it is starting discussions with global energy companies to explore the development of the proposed nuclear power station at the site.
The Wylfa site was recently secured by the government’s Great British Nuclear as a possible site for new nuclear project. The nuclear energy and fuels company has also secured Oldbury-on-Severn in Gloucestershire as another site for a potential facility.
Earlier this month, the UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) granted a site licence for the Sizewell C nuclear power station.
