Sellafield to be a new nuclear site

The UK’s £40bn new nuclear programme hit a key milestone this week with the confirmation that Sellafield, along with Wylfa, Oldbury and Bradwell, will be up for grabs as a potential site for new nuclear power stations.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority said today it expects to nominate the four sites when the Government calls for potential sites to be nominated next week. Each new build nuclear plant could generate 9,000 construction jobs.

The German joint venture of E.ON and RWE and the newly formed Spanish-led joint venture of Iberdrola and Scottish and Southern Energy will compete for at least two of the four sites.  E.ON has bought land adjacent to Oldbury and RWE has grid connection rights at Wylfa. The NDA said it will release “significant” land around the existing Sellafield site after the other three sites have been auctioned off.

British Energy which was recently taken over by French energy giant EDF holds other potential sites for new nuclear power stations. EDF must sell some of the British Energy sites as part of the terms of the sale.