Wylfa nuclear reaches milestone
6 Jan 2014
Wylfa Newydd proposed nuclear facility receives boost as assessment of its nuclear reactor progresses to the next stage.
Today’s announcement follows nine months of preparatory work by the reactor designer, Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, and the regulators - which comes just a month after the Treasury committed to an investment guarantee for the nuclear site.
The UK Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (UKABWR), said to be the most modern reactor currently in design, is being proposed for use at the Wylfa site on the isle of Anglesey, North Wales, and for a further site in Oldbury, Gloucestershire.
It is right that any reactor constructed in this country is subjected to stringent safety assessments
David Jones MP
The assessment process forms part of the generic design assessment (GDA) conducted by the Office for Nuclear regulation (ONR) and the Environment Agency and is currently underway to ensure that the reactor meets safety standards.
ONR deputy chief inspector Mark Foy said: “The GDA process enables ONR to undertake a pre-assessment of the safety and security aspects of a reactor design to determine its suitability for use in the UK.”
Similarly, Welsh secretary of state David Jones said: “It is absolutely right that the proposed design of any reactor to be constructed in this country is subjected to stringent safety assessments led by the independent regulators.”
The new plant at Wylfa is set to comprise three 1.2GW nuclear reactors and is estimated to cost around £15 billion. It will be built on a site adjacent to the existing 460MW Magnox reactor, which is due to shut down in September 2014.
