30 Dec (NucNet): RWE Npower has secured a grid connection for a potential new nuclear power plant in the UK, the company announced today.

The company, part of the German utility RWE, also said it has acquired options to buy farmland close to the existing twin-unit Magnox nuclear power plant at Wylfa on the Isle of Anglesey in north Wales.

The grid connection at Anglesey, which provides RWE Npower with the rights to feed 3.6 gigawatts of electricity into the national grid, could see enough electricity generated on the island to meet the needs of over five million homes.

The British Government has identified new nuclear power as being a key building block for a low carbon future, RWE Npower said in a statement.
RWE Npower chief executive officer Andrew Duff said the company is �serious and committed� to new nuclear options.

The company also called on the government to provide clarity over energy policy to allow for investment in a diverse mix of power generation. And he called on the government and regulators to clear the way for vital investment in other forms of power generation across the UK. �Without major investment in UK energy infrastructure over the coming years, the UK faces shortages in the approach to 2015,� he said.

Albert Owen, the member of parliament for the area that includes Wylfa, said: �I�ve long argued that Wylfa is a prime site for new nuclear generation and the announcement by RWE Npower confirms the potential of Wylfa that would benefit the local economy and play an important role in the low carbon energy security of the country.�

In 2000 it was announced that Wylfa�s two units would be shut down in 2010. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) assumed ownership of Wylfa when it was formed in 2005 to take charge of the overall management for cleaning up the UK�s civil nuclear sites. In a separate move, the NDA is also planning to sell two lots of land at Wylfa.

Both Wylfa units are 490 megawatts. Wylfa-1 began commercial operation in 1971 and Wylfa-2 in 1972.

>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)

UK�S NDA Confirms No Extension For Wylfa Beyond 2010 (News No. 160, 24 July 2006)

Sales Process Starts For Land Adjacent To UK Nuclear Sites (World Nuclear Review No. 46, 28 November 2008)

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