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Combining wind power with a nuclear small modular reactor (SMR) could see energy production re-start at Wylfa in North Wales by late 2027 under plans presented by Shearwater Energy.
Shearwater has said that the proposal would involve construction of a wind-SMR and hydrogen production hybrid energy project, which it says would be located on a different site to the Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station, planned by Horizon, that stalled when Hitachi pulled support last year.
The Shearwater plant could provide 3GW of zero carbon energy and is also expected to produce over 3M.kg of green hydrogen per year for use by the UK’s transport sector.
The firm has signed a memorandum of understanding with US power business NuScale to develop the SMR solution for the site, which Shearwater has said could be delivered for less than £8bn.
Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit head of analysis Jonathan Marshall welcomed the news that plans were being developed for use of SMRs in the UK. “If SMRs are going to be trialled anywhere in Britain, Wylfa would be as good place as any to start,” he said. “A nuclear-skilled workforce, the right grid connections, and historic local acceptance of energy infrastructure all favour trials on Anglesey.
“Getting a project up-and-running would also allow long-touted claims of low costs and quick build rates to be put to the test. The nuclear industry for years has been plugging SMRs as the next big thing, actually building them would allow the rest of us to see how accurate these claims are."
According to Sheerwater, the Wylfa concept is part of an outline proposal submitted to government and the devolved governments of Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, “all of whom stand to derive considerable economic benefits in connection with the proposed project”.
Shearwater has described the Wyfla element of the plan as a “flagship opportunity” for combining SMR technology, offshore wind energy and hydrogen production in the UK.
Shearwater CEO Simon Forster said: “Combining low-carbon generating technologies enables us to achieve similar performance characteristics to large thermal plants without the high cost, long construction time and environmental legacy.
“When fully developed, an SMR-wind plant at Wylfa will provide 3 GW of reliable, zero-carbon electricity at a fraction of the cost of a conventional nuclear power station with surplus energy generation focused on the production of hydrogen to support the transport sector’s transition to low-carbon fuels. Power generation at Wylfa could begin as early as 2027.”
NuScale Power chairman and CEO John Hopkins said that his firm’s technology was a perfect complement to Shearwater’s offshore wind project. He added: “With deep knowledge and expertise in the clean energy sector of the United Kingdom, Shearwater Energy understands the unique challenges facing the energy needs of the region.”
A spokesperson for BEIS said: “We are aware of Shearwater Energy’s proposal.
"We are willing to discuss new nuclear projects with any viable companies and investors wishing to develop sites, including in North Wales, and are considering a range of financing solutions.”
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Small nukes or large nukes, they still produce radioactive waste. we do not have any moral stance to expect 10s of thousand of future generation to look at the waste of a few earlier generations because they were too lazy to produce renewables. add to that the waste heat nukes produce warms the seas in roughly that same proportions as an ICE. so global warming by other means. Also obnoxious. so we really need to remove nuclear energy off the table like so many other countries have done.