This Tweet by Andrew Adonis fills me with mixed feelings
Andrew Adonis Retweeted
Mrs May has now cancelled the nuclear power project in Anglesey, the tidal lagoon in Swansea (the next would have been Cardiff), & rail electrification west of Cardiff.
A systematic policy is trashing Welsh jobs, Welsh infrastructure & the Welsh economy to pay for Brexit
I oppose the building of the nuclear power plant on Ynys Mon and was very sceptical over the Swansea Tidal Lagoon , but that does not mean that I am cheering from the rafters
The Wasting Mule reports that
The future of the planned Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station on Anglesey is shrouded in uncertainty after Hitachi responded to a report that construction would be suspended by saying that “no formal decision” had been taken.
The Nikkei Asian Review reported that Hitachi plans to put the project on hold because funding negotiations with the UK Government have “hit an impasse”.
It claimed that the “deadlock looks set to sink Japan’s last overseas nuclear project”.
Hitachi confirmed it has been assessing the “potential suspension” of the project.
“No formal decision has been made in this regard currently, while Hitachi has been assessing the Horizon Project including its potential suspension and related financial impacts in terms of economic rationality as a private company," said a spokesman.
"Should any matter arise which needs to be disclosed, Hitachi will announce the information in a timely manner.”
Here is the Welsh Government’s statement“Reports on Wylfa this morning are worrying. This is a major project with significant economic benefits to Wales and rest of the country.“We will continue to monitor the situation very carefully and press the UK Government to do everything it can to help bring this project to Anglesey.”
Construction can't go ahead until the financing is agreed
Horizon Nuclear Power, the subsidiary of Hitachi which is dedicated to developing new nuclear power stations released the following statement: “Since the Secretary of State’s statement to the House in June 2018 we’ve been in formal negotiations with the UK Government regarding financing of the Wylfa Newydd project in a way that works both for investors and the UK electricity customer. This is one of the aspects of the project development phase that must be concluded before construction of Wylfa Newydd can go ahead, but the discussions are commercially confidential and we won’t be commenting on rumours or speculation.”
Hitachi had agreed to take over the Horizon project in 2012 after it was put for sale by RWE and E.ON. It had been hoped the new plant would have a generating capacity of 2,900 MW by the middle of the next decade.
A spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy said:
“Negotiations with Hitachi on agreeing a deal that provides value for money for consumers and taxpayers on the Wylfa project are ongoing. They are commercially sensitive and we do not comment on speculation.”Opponents of the nuclear power project welcomed the possibility it could be suspendedArtist's impression of Wylfa Newydd
The campaigning group People Against Wylfa B (PAWB) said in a statement:
The whole sorry business reflects our lack of say or influence in to what Projects we in Wales would actually when we investigate want ,“Should the news be confirmed at a meeting of the Hitachi Board next week then it will be a relief for all of us who worry about the future of our island, our country, our language, our environment and indeed renewable energy. PAWB has warned for years that the costs associated with the Wylfa project would be likely to prove fatal to the project, but we were ignored. “Consequently, millions of taxpayers’ money from the island, Wales and the UK was invested to back Wylfa B. In addition huge political capital has been invested, and there has been a failure to have a mature public discussion about the project other than in terms of cash and jobs.“The legacy of this, if the reports from Japan prove to be true, is that over a decade has been wasted on Wylfa, with very little alternative economic planning in evidence. Our young people have been promised jobs on very shaky foundations.“Good land has been destroyed to create infrastructure to back the project. It is time for politicians and officials from the UK Government, the Welsh Government and Anglesey to admit that they were wrong.“Wales is rich in natural resources which can be used to create a vibrant and sustainable energy future, and above all else create more jobs in less time than Wylfa would have done.”
Instead we have.
- Grandiose projects in which vast sums have already be spent in preparation, which are never constructed.
- They are projects that may well be geared to a UK economy rather than a Welsh one.
- There will only be a major boost in Jobs when they are under , but once completed the actual workforce is low.
- Most of the construction Jobs are taken by workers from outside the immediate area.
- The actual positive future financial impact has been exaggerated
- When the project is puled so are all finances and the money goes elsewhere to areas where the community and Wales see nothing.
I can't say that an Independent would may make the same mistake , certainly the Circuit of Wales fiasco certainly proves that the current Welsh Labour Government , can be initially deceived by the promises of jobs, which even someone like me look very doubtful.
However the main argument is that if either the Westminster Government are prepared to spend money in supporting such projects, then the community that looked like it would benefit from it , should not lose out complacently , when they are pulled and real alternatives, should be budgeted for this scenario.
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