Britain is in talks with U.S. nuclear reactor company Westinghouse on building a new atomic power plant on Anglesey in Wales, the British newspaper The Times reported.

If it gets the go-ahead the new plant at Wylfa would be able to generate enough electricity to power more than 6 million homes and could be operational in the mid-2030s, The Times said.

Japan’s Hitachi Ltd scrapped plans to build a nuclear power plant at the Wylfa site a year ago after it failed to find private investors or secure sufficient government support for the project.

The decision left only the British arm of France’s EDF and China General Nuclear Power Corp building in the nuclear sector, where around half of UK plants are set to close in the next few years.

The partners are building the first UK nuclear power plant in decades at Hinckley Point in west England and are planning a second in Sizewell in east England.

Nuclear power provided around 16.8% of Britain’s electricity generation in 2019, according to National Grid, while gas was used to generate 38.4%.

The recent spike in gas prices combined with a fall in renewable generation due to low wind speeds had underlined the need for more nuclear capacity, The Times said, citing a government source.

“If our current situation shows anything it is that we need more stable home grown, low carbon generation in the UK,” the source told the newspaper. “This is an important project that we’re very keen to try and get off the ground.” 

 
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