Trawsfynydd ruled out of new nuclear power plan

Trawsfynydd's former nuclear power station is in the process of being decomissioned

A site in Gwynedd has been ruled out of a plan for new nuclear power stations.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in 2022 that the UK government was "looking to build" a small nuclear reactor (SMR) at Trawsfynydd.

But a UK government organisation set up to co-ordinate the industry believes the site does not have enough space for its first phase of work.

Great British Nuclear (GBN) said Trawsfynydd, which had an operating nuclear power plant until 1991 "might not be able to deploy quite as quickly as some other potential sites".

However, despite being missed off its initial proposals, the organisation said Trawsfynydd is an "interesting site for future nuclear development".

A Plaid Cymru MP said it was difficult to see how the decision was not based on "political considerations".

GBN has previously announced the purchase of land at Wylfa on Anglesey and Oldbury-on-Severn in Gloucestershire.

Wylfa has been previously deemed suitable for both a large nuclear development, and a number of "small modular reactors", which could be built in factories.

None currently exist in the UK.

The Welsh government had set up a company to develop the proposals at Trawsfynydd, called Cwmni Egino, but its budget has now been substantially cut.

BBC Wales was told the Welsh government took the decision because of the lack of support from GBN.

Cwmni Egino's budget stood at £2m in 2023/24.

This financial year it is £500,000.

The budget cut was criticised by Conservative politicians, including Aberconwy MS Janet Finch Saunders but the Welsh government said the budget "recognises the reality of the transition that the company is currently facing".

GBN's plans for its first phase of work for small modular reactors proposes to make decisions on investments by 2029, with power on the grid by the mid-2030s.

Trawsfynydd's existing power station was shut down in 1991, and is in the long process of being decommissioned.

The site is thought by GBN not to have enough space, and would not be available quickly enough for reactors to be set-up.

'It is too small'

Virginia Crosbie, Conservative MP for Ynys Môn, told the Welsh Affairs Select Committee on Wednesday that GBN "has made it clear that the site is not in its plans for the next stages simply because it is too small".

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a Welsh Conservative conference in 2022 - the year before GBN was launched - that the UK government was "looking to build another small modular reactor" at Trawsfynydd.

A statement from Great British Nuclear said: “GBN recognises the good progress made by Cwmni Egino to understand the potential of the Trawsfynydd site for nuclear development and the considerable expertise the team brings to the industry and will continue to work alongside them.

“For the first phase of SMR deployment, Trawsfynydd might not be able to deploy quite as quickly as some other potential sites and might not offer the same potential for generation capacity, but it is an interesting site for future nuclear development.”

Ms Crosbie asked Economy Minister Jeremy Miles and Welsh government official Andrew Slade at the committee on Wednesday why the funding had been "slashed".

Mr Slade, the director general for economy at the Welsh government, said ministers had "hard choices" over budgets.

He added: "If we get to the point where we have agreement from UK government colleagues to progress with plans for Trawsfynydd and a number of other sites and activities in North Wales then, absolutely, that is an area that we will be putting additional investment into. ]

"But, right now, we are not at a point where we can do that in terms of the discussions with UK government more generally."

Mr Miles said: "Obviously, we want to make sure that it has got a role in the future because we want to make sure of the opportunities which may come down the line."

'Political considerations'

Liz Saville Roberts, the Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, said it was "difficult" to avoid the conclusion that the decision by GBN was "based on political considerations rather than making responsible use of public money and future anticipation of how SMRs will be best used”.

She said it had been "been acknowledged for years that Trawsfynydd is ideally suited for an early SMR development, not least because the site is entirely in public ownership, connected to the grid and well-placed to show how an SMR can perform without a supply of sea water".

Virginia Crosbie, the Ynys Môn Conservative MP, said all parties should get behind Wylfa as it made "the most logical sense", adding the Conservative government "is rolling out the largest nuclear expansion in a generation and as GBN points out, Traws has a strong opportunity to be at the heart of the GB nuclear future".

Janet Finch Saunders, MS for Aberconwy, said it was "completely illogical for the Welsh Government to have taken a decision to cut funding for Cwmni Egino".

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “Through Cwmni Egino over the past three years, we have worked in good faith to make the case for Trawsfynydd, and while it is disappointing that the site is not favoured by GBN for a first-of-a-kind SMR development, we will nevertheless continue to play a proactive and positive role in supporting new nuclear at both north Wales sites, helping to maximise their socio-economic potential.

"The Cwmni Egino budget for this year has been prudently set in consultation with the company and recognises the reality of the transition that the company is currently facing.”