Wylfa Land Grab Questionable
by Michael Germaine
Personally I think having a nuclear power plant at Wylfa on Anglesey is a very good idea as it is a very cost effective source of electricity. Although I do believe we should be using natural renewable resources like wind power, the amount of electricity we use as a whole far exceeds the abilities of the very limited renewable power plants. However, taking away farmers land, destroying vast areas of landscape, and building a new plant is completely unethical. The only people who would suffer are those in the surrounding areas who lose all their land and jobs due to this being built. If the plant was not built, nobody would lose their job as the employment has not even been created yet! Instead, the plant should keep running as it is (as nobody seems to be short on electricity!) and invest the money in a more environmentally friendly project like an off-shore wind farm or a tidal power plant. People will also object to this due to the "visual pollution" and damage to the coastline. But in my opinion, no matter what we say and how many times we protest, they are going to destroy some part of the landscape SOMEWHERE to create a new plant and keep the money rolling in. We may as well push them to at least create a sustainable and renewable source of energy rather than a non-renewable high-pollution source. Further Comment: Thanks for The company involved in the proposed project, Horizon Nuclear Power, have consulted widely with the communities on Anglesey in relation to its proposed plans for building a new power plant near Cemaes. They are still making assessments as to the feasibility of the project and there is also the matter of choosing a reactor design. As for the reactor decision - or GDA (Generic Design Assessment) - this was established by the Environment Agency and the Office for Nuclear Regulation (an Agency of the Health and Safety Executive) (or ONR). The ONR also has a responsibility for licensing of nuclear sites in the UK, and so will ultimately decide whether or not an application by a developer can go ahead. With regard to the impact of jobs, the projections for job creation during construction suggest up to 6,000 people would be needed, while a base figure of around a 1,000 is anticipated when the plant is operating. These are high skilled jobs and would make a huge difference to the livelihoods of many in the local community. And remember it is not just the immediate jobs on the nuclear site, but also the supply chains for a wide range of services For more local articles and stories, subscribe to our free Anglesey Newsletter here. It's as easy as 1-2-3!
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