Not the end of story, says Wylfa chief
THE boss of Horizon Nuclear Power has penned an open letter after Hitachi withdrew its support for Wylfa Newydd last week.
Duncan Hawthorne, chief executive officer of Horizon, was the man leading the £16bn nuke scheme on Anglesey.
But Japanese multi-national Hitachi last week announced they were pulling out of funding the scheme.
Mr Hawthorne admitted this was a “huge disappointment” for all those involved. However, he also spelt out that they had not given up hope that a nuclear plant can be built at the site near Cemaes.
UK Government will announce its decision on the Development Consent Order for the plant before the end of September.
Mr Hawthorne said: “In pursuing our goals we have had overwhelming support and professional collaboration.
“All of our counterparties have been motivated by the desire to ensure a development on the scale of Wylfa Newydd would be managed responsibly in partnership with the host community, and bring benefits for generations to come.
“I believe we would have achieved just that, but this time it was not to be.
“I also believe this is not the end of the story. The case for nuclear power development in the UK is getting stronger, not weaker.”
He says that the scale of economic benefits and the commitment for a Net Zero climate emissions economy means nuclear is needed more than ever.
Mr Hawthorne, who thanked all those who supported Horizon, added: “The Wylfa Newydd site remains the best in the UK, if not the whole of Europe, for new nuclear power development.
“I cannot say today what the next steps will be.What I can tell you is that I, and my team at Horizon, will do our utmost, along with our stakeholders and supporters, to make sure the opportunities that Wylfa Newydd represents, can still be taken.”