North Wales MS and Chair of the Welsh Parliament’s Cross Party Group on Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficiency, Mark Isherwood, has questioned the Minister for Climate Change over Welsh Government plans for sustainable energy efficiency in Wales, referring to nuclear power opportunities in North Wales.
Speaking in the Chamber during Wednesday’s meeting of the Senedd/Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood referred to proposals for new small modular reactors (SMR) in the region and said that the UK Nuclear Energy (Financing) Bill also offers potential for a new nuclear power station at Wylfa Newydd on Anglesey.
He also referred to evidence that all modern nuclear power stations planned or under construction in the UK can load follow - adjusting their power output as demand for electricity fluctuates throughout the day – and asked the Minister to respond to this.
He said:
“En route to decarbonisation, the global energy price crisis has highlighted the current importance of gas as back up when the energy contribution from intermittent wind and solar energy renewables is low. This fragile system faces further challenges, with most of the UK's Nuclear power plants, currently supplying around 20 per cent of our electricity, to close by the end of the decade. However, site proposals for new Small Modular Nuclear Reactors include North Wales, and the UK Nuclear Energy (Financing) Bill also offers potential for new Nuclear Power Station at Wylfa Newydd on Anglesey, with Companies such as Bechtel and Rolls-Royce already keen to establish new nuclear power there..
“Further to my recent meeting with the Chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, how do you therefore respond to his evidence that all the modern nuclear power stations planned or under construction in the UK, can ‘load follow’, adjusting their power output as demand for electricity fluctuates throughout the day; that in networks where nuclear consists of a high amount of generation, such as France, nuclear power stations routinely ‘load follow’ or provide back up; and that in a future UK grid consisting of mainly renewables and nuclear, nuclear would therefore be capable of load following or providing that back up?”
In her response, the Minister said:
“ I completely agree that nuclear has a role to play if we can get the right kinds of nuclear installation in Wales. Mr Isherwood will know that we've got a cluster of scientists working on that in north-west Wales and that we're exploring the potential for Trawsfynydd. The problems of Wylfa are well known - whether we can get an investor for that scale of nuclear plant in Ynys Môn is just as much a responsibility of the UK Government as us, and we're working with them on that. If we can get that mix right, then I'm sure it does play a part in that.
“In the meantime, we're not relying on that in Wales. As I say, we are in a quest for baseload renewables, which is what he's talking about. If we can get that out of marine renewables without any of the difficulties that the nuclear industry has famously had over the years, then I would be in favour of doing so. But, I have no problem with discussing the potential for a nuclear solution in some parts of Wales if the technology is available and if we can make the project wash its face in affordability terms.”