Commons Committee tells UK ministers to confirm Wylfa plans and fix broken planning system

THE UK GOVERNMENT has been warned that years of drift and delay could see Wales miss out once again on a major jobs and investment boom in nuclear power, after MPs said there is still “no clear plan” for the future of the Wylfa site on Anglesey.

In a major report published on Friday (Oct 24), the House of Commons Energy Security and Net Zero Committeecalled for a “one-stop shop” to cut through red tape and end the costly gridlock slowing Britain’s low-carbon energy ambitions.
The Committee said that Great British Energy–Nuclear (GBE-N) — the government-owned developer now responsible for new nuclear projects — must confirm its plans for Wylfa and Oldbury-on-Severn “without further delay”.

Wales’s flagship site ‘stuck in limbo’

The cross-party report, led by Labour MP Bill Esterson, describes Wylfa as a “flagship site” for the UK’s clean energy future, but warns that confusion over planning rules, duplication between regulators, and lack of ministerial direction are deterring private investment.

“The draft EN-7 makes a strong case for new nuclear,” Mr Esterson said. “But GB Energy-Nuclear needs to make clear their plans for flagship sites at Oldbury and Wylfa. These sites have the potential to truly accelerate new nuclear in the UK.”

The Committee said government policy remains “fragmented and contradictory” — with ministers claiming to favour a market-led approach, yet unable to provide the strategic guidance and guarantees developers need to build gigawatt-scale reactors.
It urged the Government to set out a detailed plan of what type of nuclear technology it wants deployed, where, and when — and to publish deployment timelines for Wylfa before the end of the year.

A missed opportunity for Wales?

The warning will strike a familiar chord in North Wales.
In 2020, Japanese firm Hitachi pulled out of plans to build a new power station at Wylfa Newydd, leaving hundreds of skilled workers without jobs and the island’s economy reeling.

Anglesey had hoped to see thousands of construction and supply chain roles over the coming decade. Instead, the site has remained dormant — a fenced-off monument to Britain’s uncertain energy policy.

Local leaders say another delay would be disastrous. Rhun ap Iorwerth MS, the Plaid Cymru leader and Member for Ynys Môn, said earlier this year that “Wylfa can be a key part of Wales’s net zero future — but it must be delivered with long-term jobs for local people, not promises that never materialise.”

Calls for a ‘one-stop shop’ for nuclear projects

At the heart of the MPs’ report is a damning assessment of the UK’s regulatory system.
Developers currently face multiple overlapping reviews from planning authorities, environmental regulators and the Office for Nuclear Regulation, with each process adding new costs, delays and risk of legal challenge.

The Committee says this “fragmented and duplicated” framework is stifling progress and discouraging the kind of fleet-based approach that could deliver reactors faster and cheaper.
It recommends creating a single “one-stop shop” regulator for nuclear power — bringing planning, safety and environmental decisions under one umbrella while maintaining high standards.

Without that reform, MPs warn, the new national planning framework (known as EN-7) will “fail to deliver the joined-up approach” the nuclear industry needs.

Local rewards must be clear

The Committee also said developers must do more to prove that host communities will share the rewards of new projects.

Large power stations such as Wylfa could transform regional economies by providing hundreds of high-skill, long-term jobs. But smaller modular reactors — which require fewer on-site workers — may offer less visible benefits to local people.

The report calls on the Government to expand its guidance on how developers can deliver lasting value to host communities, suggesting measures such as full business-rate retention for councils, infrastructure investment in local roads and rail, and binding local employment quotas similar to those agreed at Sizewell C in Suffolk.

Unite Wales regional secretary Peter Hughes said: “Wales has the skills and the workforce ready to build the next generation of power stations. But we need certainty — not more years of indecision. A clear plan for Wylfa would mean good union jobs for Welsh workers and contracts for local firms.”

Pembrokeshire’s place in the energy mi

While the focus of the Committee’s report is on North Wales, its findings carry wider significance for West Wales. Pembrokeshire already plays a leading role in the UK’s low-carbon transition — from the Dragon LNG terminal and South Hook to the planned Celtic Sea floating wind projects and the emerging Hydrogen Hub at Milford Haven.

Experts say a revived nuclear sector could complement these efforts by providing stable “baseload” power when renewables are offline.

Energy consultant Dr Gareth Davies, who advises Marine Energy Wales, told The Herald: “Wales can lead the UK in clean energy if we get the balance right — nuclear for consistency, renewables for innovation. But government indecision risks us falling behind.”

Outdated population rules ‘a brake on progress’

MPs also took aim at an obscure planning rule known as the Semi-Urban Population Density Criterion, which bans new reactors within a set radius of built-up areas.
Originally drawn up in the 1960s to protect against accidents at early-generation reactors, the formula is now seen as outdated and opaque.

The Committee said the rule has become a “de facto brake” on new development — preventing expansion at existing sites such as Heysham and Hartlepool — and called on ministers to publish a modern, transparent map of eligible areas across England and Wales.

They recommended that the Office for Nuclear Regulation be asked to devise a new, risk-based approach that reflects advances in reactor safety, including smaller modular designs.

Jobs, pride and opportunity

For people living around Cemaes Bay, the Wylfa site still looms large — both physically and emotionally.
The original Wylfa A station, which closed in 2015, was one of Wales’s largest employers, providing steady work for generations of families.

“It’s heartbreaking to see it empty,” said one former maintenance engineer, who asked not to be named. “We were told a new plant was coming, and then nothing. Young people have moved away because there’s no future here. If they mean to rebuild it, they need to get on with it.”

With construction of Sizewell C in Suffolk now under way, industry observers fear that Wales could once again be left on the sidelines — despite possessing one of the best-suited nuclear sites in Europe.

A crossroads for Welsh energy

The report underlines a broader question about Wales’s role in the UK’s energy system.
Wales already exports more electricity than it consumes, yet critics say local communities rarely see the financial return.

Professor Calvin Jones of Cardiff Business School has argued that major projects “too often generate income for London but little benefit for Wales.”
That tension is reflected in the Committee’s call for a fairer deal — one that ensures business rates, infrastructure funding and supply-chain contracts stay in the regions that host the power.

As one industry source told The Herald: “If Westminster gets this wrong, we won’t just lose Wylfa. We’ll lose the chance for Wales to lead the next generation of clean energy.”