Following a proposal for a nuclear reactor and wind farm in Anglesey by Shearwater, Quadrant Smart sits down with Dr Johnathan Marshall, head of analysis at the Energy and Intelligence Unit, to learn more.
A small nuclear reactor and a wind farm could be built in north Wales under new plans from a UK energy firm. The plans under Shearwater, a hybrid clean energy company, could be delivered for less than £8bn. Shearwater has earmarked Wylfa on Anglesey as the site for their proposal.
Energy and Intelligence Unit (ECIU), a non-profit organisation that supports informed debate on energy and climate change issues in the UK, believe the location is beneficial for the installation of SMRs in the UK. Dr Johnathan Marshall, head of analysis at ECIU spoke to Quadrant Smart about the benefits the proposal could bring.
“There is a history of nuclear power in Anglesey up at Wylfa so there’s already good connections that you need there,” says Johnathan. The location will provide the plant with “cooling water” as it is next to the coast and “a local workforce with the sort of skills you would need,” explains Johnathan.
Forward thinking
Shearwater’s proposal would involve the construction of a wind small modular reactors (SMR) and a hydrogen production hybrid energy project. The incorporation of hydrogen into the plan is positive as Johnathan explains “there is a lot of potential for hydrogen.”
Wylfa would become home to 12 SMRs initially capable of generating 924 Megawatt electric (MWe) – one million watts of electricity capacity – alongside a 1,000 MW wind farms, under the Shearwater bid. It will also start generating carbon-neutral power by late 2027.
The plant could provide 3GW of zero-carbon energy and is also expected to produce over 3M.kg of green energy per use for use by the UK’s transport sector. Not only this, but the project could cost up to 40% less than a conventional nuclear plant.
Praising Shearwater’s bid, Johnathan tells Quadrant Smart, “it is more of a forward-thinking idea than most of the stuff you get from the nuclear sector.”
