Boris majority ‘could revive hopes of Wylfa Newydd project’. Island economy chief Carwyn Jones says he believes ‘right noises are coming from London’. A settled government in London could strengthen the prospects of a new nuclear power plant on Anglesey, the island’s economic chief has suggested. Cllr Carwyn Jones said Boris Johnson’s solid majority could mean that the ‘paused’ Hitachi project might be salvaged. In the Conservative Party’s pre-election manifesto, the party stated its support for hydrogen production and nuclear energy as “important parts of the energy system”, alongside increasing a commitment to renewables. The island’s new Tory MP, Virginia Crosbie, described nuclear as a way to “decarbonise our economy”, and said she would “champion the development” of Wylfa Newydd”. “The loss of so many well paid and highly skilled jobs on the Island over the last decade adds urgency to the need to create the jobs and training opportunities that Wylfa will bring,” she said. “In addition, Wylfa will help our local economy by making businesses, especially those in the thriving hospitality sector, less dependent on seasonal tourism. Cllr Jones, a Plaid Cymru councillor since 2013, added that he would like to see closer collaboration between the economy and climate change departments within the UK Government. The rumoured Regulated Asset Base (RAB) funding model, he added, would allow private companies, including pension and investment funds, to invest in projects under the oversight of a government regulator, in exchange for being allowed to collect a fee from energy customers. “We have positioned ourselves as an energy island in terms of research, potential sites, local backing, M-Sparc, a world leading facility at Coleg Menai. So I feel we’re well positioned to fit in to this vision going forward,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Daily Post 30th Dec 2019 read more »
