Cwmni Egino and NDA sign MoU for new nuclear in North Wales

Tuesday, 11 October 2022

The MoU means the NDA, which the UK government gives the task of cleaning up the UK’s earliest nuclear sites, can share information about its land at Trawsfynydd and make sure its decommissioning plans and the new nuclear project are aligned.

The 392 MWe Trawsfynydd Magnox nuclear power plant began operation in 1965, operating for 26 years before being retired. It is now owned by the NDA and is being decommissioned by NDA subsidiary Magnox Ltd. The NDA also owns land outside the Magnox site boundary which could be used for a new nuclear development.

Cwmni Egino, a development company established by the Welsh Government to drive development of the site and promote economic and social regeneration, is currently developing a business plan for the site, with the aim of construction starting in 2027. The NDA and Cwmni Egino announced ealier this year that they planned to work together to develop the site, with the MoU formalising their collaboration.

The UK's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) published its energy strategy earlier this year, including commitments for delivering new nuclear power, including small modular reactors.

Minister for Business, Energy and Corporate Responsibility Martin Callanan said: "This new working relationship announced today has the potential to greatly benefit our country's economy and energy security. It would ensure more homegrown energy as part of our wider mix, and contribute to our ambition to be generating 24GW of nuclear capacity by 2030. But this will also be of huge benefit to the people living around Trawsfynydd, who are set to benefit from the skilled jobs this could create in the coming years."

NDA Chief Executive David Peattie said: "We are engaging with several stakeholders to explore potential uses of our estate, using our capability and expertise to support the government in delivering its energy security strategy. This is an important step, formalising our support to Cwmni Egino, and enabling the NDA to deliver its mission to safely decommission our sites and free up the land for future use. The success of the project at Trawsfynydd will also benefit the community neighbouring our North Wales site."

Cwmni Egino Chief Executive, Alan Raymant, said: "Our relationship with the NDA is critical to the successful delivery of our vision for the development of new nuclear at Trawsfynydd. We’re very pleased that the MoU is now formally in place. We look forward to working with the NDA as we continue to develop our proposals which will bring significant benefits to local communities, as well as help achieve energy security and net zero targets."

Welsh Government Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething, said: "The MOU between Cwmni Egino and the NDA is very good news.  We established Cwmni Egino to maximise the potential of the Trawsfynydd site to benefit the economy of the surrounding area.  I'm pleased to see this further step forward in the project."