Nuclear power plant shelved after concerns for Welsh language

A nuclear power plant was shelved after planners raised concerns that it would “adversely affect Welsh language and culture”.

Hitachi, a Japanese company, abandoned plans to build a new £20 billion power station in Anglesey, North Wales, in 2020 after failing to reach a funding agreement with UK ministers.

It has emerged that the Government was urged by planning inspectors to reject the plans over concerns the influx of workers would dilute the Welsh language.

The disclosure comes as Sir Keir Starmer promised to overrule the “blockers” and cut red tape to allow more nuclear power plants to be built in Britain.

A nuclear power station has not been constructed in the UK since 1995, and under current rules, the plants can only be built in eight designated areas of England and Wales.

‘Influx of non-Welsh speaking workforce’

A 2019 report by the Planning Inspectorate revealed that a Welsh language impact assessment had to be undertaken as part of the planning process.

It said that the 7,500 workers who could come to Anglesey for the construction of Wylfa Newydd “could have a major adverse effect on the balance of Welsh and non-Welsh speakers in the [area] and could adversely affect the use and prominence of the Welsh language within Communities”.

The report also raised concerns about pressures on “a limited supply of housing”, which could not only increase rents but “could adversely affect Welsh language and culture”.

While it added that it recognised “a number of benefits with regards to language and culture”, it said: “All parties also agree that the main adverse effect could relate to the influx of a large non-Welsh speaking workforce during the construction period”.

The inspectors concluded that “matters weighing against the proposed development outweigh the matters weighing in favour of it” and even with mitigations the project could “adversely affect tourism, the local economy, health and wellbeing and Welsh language and culture”.

‘Symptomatic of warren-like planning process’

Up to 6,000 jobs were expected to be created in the area during the building of the site, and a further 1,200 long-term jobs would be available once the site was operational.

Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said that the report was “absolutely symptomatic of how planning processes for significant infrastructure projects can disappear down a cwningar – the Welsh for a rabbit warren.”

Inspectors also raised concerns about the impact of the power station on the Arctic tern and Sandwich tern, warning that the birds could “abandon the site” leading to a negative impact on “breeding success”.

Wylfa is still considered one of the preferred sites for a new nuclear power station, with the previous Government in March saying it wanted to buy the site from Hitachi for £160 million.

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