Alan Raymant, Chief Executive, Cwmni Egino

Cwmni Egino is the Welsh Government-backed company set up to progress potential new projects and provide opportunities for north west Wales. Last year it set out its ambition for Trawsfynydd to become the site of the first small scale nuclear station in the UK. We sat down with Alan to talk about what’s next for Cwmni Egino and for nuclear in Wales.

North Wales has a rich nuclear heritage and tradition, what’s behind the drive to reignite the industry there?

“New nuclear developments offer a great opportunity to bring jobs, supply chain and other socio-economic benefits to the region. We have two excellent nuclear sites, a solid infrastructure of skills and expertise built over many decades, and supportive communities. The policy landscape for nuclear is now clearer than ever and North Wales is strongly positioned to lead the way towards net zero and energy security.”

What is Cwmni Egino’s role in shaping the future of nuclear in Wales?

“Cwmni Egino was established by the Welsh Government to unlock the full socio-economic benefits of developing a nuclear project at the site of the former power station in Trawsfynydd. We’ve set our vision for Trawsfynydd to be the first site in the UK to deploy SMRs with construction starting as early as 2027. We believe that kick starting the SMR programme at Trawsfynydd will lead to a nuclear sector renaissance, not only in Wales, but across the UK.

“Our role, as the project development company for the site, is to bring all the necessary components together to develop an SMR project that can be ready for approval in the next Parliament in line with the UK Government’s energy security priorities.”

What needs to happen to make sure nuclear projects in Wales are delivered?

“The Welsh Government has already taken an innovative and bold step in setting Cwmni Egino up as a standalone company developing a specific site, as opposed to promoting a technology. The British Energy Security Strategy was also a significant step, and has enhanced the UK policy backdrop for new nuclear projects.

“What’s needed now is for this policy intent to be translated into a clear and funded programme for new nuclear, including SMRs, which we hope will be one of the first tasks for Great British Nuclear. The key thing for us at this stage is to secure strong sponsorship from the UK Government, as well as Welsh Government, and get certainty that Trawsfynydd is one of the initial sites they want to take forward.”

“We’re offering a solution that can enable Government to seize the benefits of SMRs and boost the nuclear programme more widely promoting investment, growth, and job creation across the UK.”

Trawsfynydd is a very unique site, what excites you about it?

“Trawsfynydd is ideally suited for small scale nuclear generation and lends itself to be the first site for SMRs in the UK. Not only because of its size, but also because it is a former nuclear site, with land in NDA ownership, and a range of recognised assets including an adjacent supergrid sub-station. There’s also existing skills and experience within the region and support for new nuclear locally. Most importantly, the site presents a fantastic opportunity for social and economic growth and much needed well-paid, long term jobs in the area.

“We are already working to fast-track SMR development at Trawsfynydd, and the progress we’ve made to date demonstrates that it is an attractive site and the most advanced SMR project. It’s a huge benefit that Cwmni Egino provides a development vehicle to drive this forward and kick start the deployment of SMR in the UK.”

Are we about to see a shift change in new nuclear in the UK?

“Developments over the last year show things are going in the right direction. The UK can’t afford not to invest in new nuclear if we have any chance of meeting net zero and energy security objectives. We need a clearly defined programme to be delivered at pace.

“The Energy Security Strategy is a call to arms and requires early action. The policies are in place. What we need to do now is focus on delivery and outcomes. At Cwmni Egino we are doing that now, and working collaboratively to bring our plans for Trawsfynydd to reality and delivering for people on the ground. To realise these plans, we need early confirmation that Trawsfynydd is one of the initial projects to be developed and decisions on technology choice and funding for the development phase.

Wales has very ambitious climate targets how much can nuclear be a part of that solution?

“Nuclear must be a part of the solution; it’s a vital part of the low carbon energy mix. Decarbonising the power system is one of the greatest climate challenges of our time, and with electricity demand set to increase significantly we need to be investing in all kinds of clean energy sources. Nuclear is currently the only proven source of low carbon baseload power at scale and is needed to supplement the growing proportion of variable wind and solar generation.”