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UPDATED 1 Sept: The EI library in London is temporarily closed to the public, as a precautionary measure in light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation. The Knowledge Service will still be answering email queries via email , or via live chats during working hours (09:15-17:00 GMT). Our e-library is always open for members here: eLibrary , for full-text access to over 200 e-books and millions of articles. Thank you for your patience.
Wylfa project comes to a halt; Hinkley C delayed
Hitachi has announced the winding-up of Horizon Nuclear Power, its vehicle created to develop a new nuclear power station at Wylfa Newydd in Anglesey.
The company first announced suspension of the project in January 2019, but relented while it negotiated with potential new developers. It now says that, despite ‘discussions with multiple parties being positive and encouraging’, they have not led to any definitive proposal to take over the project.
The company has withdrawn its application for planning permission for the construction and operation of the station. It has blamed the absence of a clear funding package for the scrapping the project, according to nuclear news agency NUCNET.
Hitachi says that the recent Energy White Paper makes clear that the government sees a key role for nuclear power in the UK's low-carbon future, and the company believes that the Wylfa Newydd and Oldbury sites remain highly suitable for new plants.
Two EPR units under construction at Hinkley Point C are the only commercial nuclear plants being built in the UK at the moment, and Sizewell C is the only new-build project in the UK for which planning permission is being sought. Three projects – Wylfa, Moorside and Oldbury – have either been cancelled or shelved, largely because of financing problems.
Meanwhile, the cost of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station is expected to rise by up to £500mn, with commercial operation of the first unit delayed by about six months, according to developer EDF and reported by NUCNET. The start of electricity generation from the first of two EPR units is now expected in June 2026, compared with previous estimates of the end of 2025.
