‘Don’t hold your breath’... people living in Wylfa’s shadow have say on plans
PEOPLE living near the Wylfa power station on Anglesey have greeted the prospect of a fresh development at the site with reactions ranging from excitement to anxiety and pessimism.
The UK Government has recently announced that a £160m deal had been reached with Hitachi to buy sites at Wylfa and Oldbury in Gloucestershire - with a final sign off expected this summer.
The minister for nuclear Andrew Bowie says this is not another “false dawn” for Wylfa and that he was “supremely confident” that new nuclear would be developed at the site. The Daily Post visited nearby Cemaes to gauge opinions from people in the village on the proposals.
Cemaes resident William Huw Edwards, 80, used to work as a contractor at Rio Tinto, which ran Anglesey Aluminium, and on the runway at RAF Valley. He remembers disruption during construction work for the current Wylfa power station.
“There used to be two or three lorries at a time in convoys,” he recalled. As for the prospect of a new nuclear development, he said: “A lot of people are against it because of the traffic and the noise.”
He added: “It’s going to cost a lot and they will have to find the money.” He doubts it will be in the near future, saying: “It won’t be soon. Don’t hold your breath.”
But another resident Julie Clemence, 63, would support a new nuclear operation if it were smaller than its predecessor. “The American ones are really huge but I would support it if it’s smaller and less of a blot on the landscape than now,” she said.
Construction of Wylfa began in 1963 and it housed the largest and last Magnox-type reactors to be built in the UK. The UK Government expressed an interest in 2022 in building two new possible EPR Reactors.
Ms Clemence added: “When it (the existing Wylfa) was built in the sixties this place was bustling. A lot of people would welcome it (a new project) because it would bring employment.”
Resident Gwyn Jones, 71, worked at Wylfa along with Heysham, Hinkley Point, Dungeness and Sizewell power stations. He was a lagger stripping asbestos off pipes.
He would support a new nuclear plant at Wylfa, which could in theory be about half a mile from the current site. He said: “When it comes it will be a good thing for the tradesmen and for Anglesey.
“It would give young people something to look forward to.”
He says people currently leave the area to find work and two of his own relatives have gone to Australia to seek employment.
He accepts that some people would be against a new power station although they are mainly the ones who have “just moved here”. Promising no more false dawns, Minister for Nuclear Andrew Bowie has insisted: “Many people say, and I agree, that Wylfa is the most attractive site for new nuclear build for SMR or gigawatt in Europe so all options are on the table.”
However, Dylan Morgan, of Pobl
Atal Wylfa B (PAWB), a campaign group against the proposal, said: “This government and anyone following it will face the same challenges regarding attracting any large new private investment to develop reactors at Wylfa or any other site in the global context of a shrinking nuclear industry.
“At the same time, renewable technologies are galloping ahead every year to take an increasing share of the worldwide electricity market.” He claimed 20 years has been “wasted” when money and resources could have been spent developing renewable energy.
Ynys Môn MP Virginia Crosbie has said she has worked tirelessly for new nuclear investment at Wylfa and promised huge investment and highly paid jobs coming to the island. Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Ynys Môn, Ieuan Môn Williams has said: “Ynys Môn is the energy island, not just the nuclear island, and I will proudly advocate for Wylfa alongside home-grown renewables such as marine power and floating offshore wind as part of a balanced, clean energy mix.”
And Llinos Medi, Isle of Anglesey
County Council Leader and Plaid Cymru’s candidate for the 2024 General Election, has said: “Now that the Wylfa site will be back in direct control of the UK Government, we hope that this will lead to a firm commitment as to when a development, either at GW (gigawatt) or SMR (small nuclear reactor) scale will take place.”
Meanwhile Katie Hayward, of Felin Honeybees, has said she is “completely broken” after learning the site might be redeveloped after she battled the proposed Wylfa B site for years.