Delivery partner confirmed for Wylfa nuclear

Menter Newydd, a joint venture of Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Bechtel and JGC Corporation, has been confirmed as delivery partner for the Wylfa Newydd nuclear power project in Wales. The 5.4GW capacity Wylfa plant on the Isle of Anglesey is one of two that Horizon Nuclear Power, owned by Hitachi, is planning to build in the UK. The other proposal is for a nuclear plant at Oldbury-On-Severn in South Gloucestershire.

Award of the main delivery partner contract for the £10bn Wylfa Newydd project will now lead to further procurment of main subcontractors later this year. Two Advanced Boiling Water Reactors will be built at the site, which is expected to generate a minimum of 2.7GW from completion of the project in the early 2020s. A construction workforce of 8,000-10,000 will be employed across the Wylfa and Oldbury sites at the peak of construction, accordding to Horizon. 

Horizon chief executive office, Duncan Hawthorne, said: “This is an important step in any large, complex infrastructure project and it adds to Wylfa Newydd’s growing momentum.

“The depth and breadth of expertise Hitachi Nuclear Energy Europe, Bechtel and JGC bring to the Menter Newydd venture will help us ensure the timely delivery of our project, which will be vital for meeting the UK’s energy gap and boosting the local economy in North Wales for decades to come."

Hitachi’s project director for Menter Newydd, Malcolm Twist, said: “This is a very strong team. All the partners are proven at the highest level, and I’m delighted we’ve established the balance of expertise to safely deliver for Horizon, on-cost and on-schedule. We expect to begin firming up relationships with our main sub-contractors – many of them British – very soon.”