A developer of micro nuclear power stations plans to build four units in South Wales, to deliver power directly to industrial customers.
US-owned Last Energy, which says it needs no public funding for its plants, wants to build the four 20 MWe modular-built stations on the site of the former coal-fired Llynfi power station near Bridgend.
The company, which plans to offer energy directly to mid-sized manufacturers in the region, providing around-the-clock baseload power, aims to be operational by 2027.
It has yet to obtain licensing and planning approvals for its technology.
Last Energy UK chief executive Michael Jenner said: “Last Energy’s Llynfi project will not only transform a vacant coal site into a hub for clean energy production, it will also create economic opportunity for companies throughout South Wales.
“The benefits of nuclear power speak for themselves, so our focus must be on delivering those benefits on time and on budget. Last Energy’s emphasis on mass-manufacturability allows us to deliver significantly smaller plants in under 24 months with purely private financing.”
Nuclear Industry Association chief executive Tom Greatrex said industries were increasingly looking towards nuclear to provide reliable and price-predictable heat and power, as they move towards decarbonisation.
“Potential projects such as that proposed by Last Energy, with an innovative business model of direct-to-industry power and co-location, will be required if deep decarbonisation is to become a reality rather than a slogan,” he said.
Last Energy’s plants, called PWR-20s, are factory-built modules designed to be put together easily on site, and are smaller than small modular reactors (SMRs), which several major contractors are helping to develop.
The developer said it had commercial agreements for 80 units in Europe, with the majority of those in the UK.
None of its plants are operational yet anywhere in the world. It had been reported in 2022 that the company was aiming to make its first site operational by 2025.
Last month, Rolls-Royce SMR, Holtec Britain, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy and Westinghouse Electric Company UK were named on the shortlist of firms vying to build the UK’s first fleet of SMRs.
Rolls-Royce SMR is a consortium led by the aerospace and defence company whose partners include Laing O’Rourke and Bam Nuttall. Holtec Britain is working with Balfour Beatty, Hyundai and Mott MacDonald on its plans.
SMRs are defined as small nuclear reactors generating up to a maximum of 300 MWe. This compares with the 3,200 MWe generated by a full-scale plant such as Hinkley Point C, which is under construction in Somerset.
How the new fleet of SMRs will be funded has yet to be established. The technology is not yet generating power anywhere in the world.
