A BID to bring nuclear power generation back to Oldbury-on-Severn has lost out to a rival site in Wales.
The government has announced that Wylfa on Anglesey has been picked ahead of Oldbury as the site of the UK’s first small modular reactor nuclear power plant.
It means the Thornbury area will miss out on up to 3,000 construction jobs, as well as long-term employment at the new reactor, which is intended to generate up to 1.5GW of electricity – enough to power around a million homes.
Great British Energy – Nuclear, the government body charged with developing new nuclear energy capability for the UK, says Oldbury still has “great potential” for new projects.
It could be considered for a “large-scale reactor project” GBE-N has been given a year to find potential sites for.
But Thornbury & Yate MP Claire Young has criticised the decision to pick Wylfa over Oldbury, accusing the government of choosing the Welsh site to “shore up” Labour’s support ahead of elections for the nation’s devolved assembly next year.
GBE-N owns both the Oldbury and Wylfa sites, which were bought from Hitachi by the previous Conservative government last year.
In September it made a planning application to South Gloucestershire Council to carry out ground investigations at the site, involving drilling boreholes and testing how soil might settle under heavy loads.
GBE-N also conducted a series of meetings with councils close to the site ahead of the decision on the SMR being announced.
At the time a spokesperson told the Voice the site which was not picked for the SMR project, run by Rolls-Royce, would be “maintained for future development”.
In its announcement on November 13 the government said Oldbury “has great potential for new nuclear, including the potential to support the privately-led projects being developed by the nuclear industry”.
It also announced plans for another “large-scale reactor project” similar to the Hinkley Point C reactor in Somerset, with the potential to power up to six million homes.
The government said GBE-N has been told to identify suitable sites, and a spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero confirmed that Oldbury could be among those considered.
However the government announcement stressed that Energy Secretary Ed Miliband had requested “sites across the United Kingdom including Scotland” are considered.
GBE-N has been asked to report back with a shortlist by of sites by Autumn next year.
Oldbury and another former nuclear power station site at Berkeley were shortlisted as potential hosts for an experimental nuclear fusion reactor, but missed out to a site in Nottinghamshire with no history of nuclear power generation in 2022.
‘Disappointing’ decision – MP
Reacting to the latest decision, Ms Young said: “It’s disappointing that Oldbury has missed out again on hosting new technology.
“It would have been a big boost to our local economy and provided much-needed low carbon energy for the country.
“We already have on-the-ground expertise in this area and, with Berkeley just up the road, there was an opportunity to develop a joint low carbon energy campus.
“That campus would have the potential to be a centre of excellence not just for SMRs but also other technologies, such as hydrogen and synthetic aviation fuel.
“The decision to site the SMRs in Anglesey smacks of a desperate attempt by the Labour Government to shore up its prospects in next year’s Welsh Senedd elections.”
Leaders hopeful for other investment
The leaders of South Gloucestershire Council and Metro Mayor Helen Godwin issued a joint statement, saying: “While we are disappointed that Oldbury-on-Severn has not been chosen for SMR investment at this point, our region remains well-placed to play a major role in the transition to low-carbon power.
“We will continue to engage with Great British Energy – Nuclear, government, and industry to ensure that our area, including the nationally designated site at Oldbury-on-Severn, can secure further investment, driving innovation and creating quality jobs.
“Our ambition for a thriving, sustainable local economy remains undiminished, with clean energy a key sector in our Growth Strategy.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the decision to build at Wylfa “will fire up the Welsh economy,” adding: “Wylfa will revitalise local communities, attract major investment and open up exciting opportunities for young people – creating world-class training and apprenticeships in North Wales for the next generation of engineers, technicians and innovators.”
Rolls-Royce SMR chief executive Chris Cholerton said the decision was “the first step in what will be a 100-year commitment to clean energy, innovation, and community partnership at Wylfa”.
Work on the site will start next year, with an initial project to build three SMR units, potentially rising to eight.
The first power is expected to be supplied to the national grid from the mid-2030s.
Picture: How Rolls-Royce expects an SMR reactor to look