US interest in Wylfa project is welcomed

ANGLESEY’S economic chief has welcomed reports that a US engineering firm is leading a bid to restart the island’s nuclear programme.

Noting that he was “cautiously optimistic,” Cllr Carwyn Jones made the remarks in response to reports in the Financial Times on a joint venture by Westinghouse, Southern Company, and Bechtel in reviving the Wylfa Newydd project.

Slated to create around 1,000 permanent jobs, 2019 saw Hitachi freeze its proposal to build a nuclear power plant near Cemaes before pulling the plug completely this past September.

Cllr Carwyn Jones, who holds the council’s economic development portfolio, said that the latest reports represented “positive news.”

He added: “I’m pleased that there is interest from the US and that the consortium are holding talks with the UK Government.

“If these talks remain positive, this could provide a credible means of reviving the Wylfa Newydd project to generate economic and environmental benefits.”