Greens: Swansea Bay tidal power lagoon should be prioritised over Anglesey nuclear plant
1 June 2018
The Green Party of England and Wales today criticised Westminster plans to scrap the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon [1] which would take place the same day they sign off on the Wyfla nuclear plant on Anglesey.
Deputy Leader Amelia Womack, who last ran in the 2016 Welsh Assembly Election, argued that the prioritisation of nuclear power over tidal was further evidence that the Government had no strategy for moving Wales to a clean, renewable future.
Womack also noted that the inconsistencies in the costs quoted from Hitachi [2], combined with the cost of the Anglesey project in comparison to cheaper offshore wind projects [3], were proof that the nuclear project lacks both financial and environmental sustainability.
Womack said: “Wales’ energy production has been a defining part of our history, this tidal power lagoon would be a defining part of our clean energy future. This project would have produced cheap, locally sourced energy, created jobs in the community and made South Wales a nationwide leader in green technology.
“Instead the Conservatives are ploughing money into a nuclear energy plant that is neither environmentally sustainable nor financially sound. This is further proof that the Conservatives don’t have the best interests of Wales at heart.”
[1] https://www.ft.com/content/c6454bac-64c1-11e8-90c2-9563a0613e56
[2] https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2018/05/22/wylfa-hitachi-nuclear-deal-delays/
[3] https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cheap-power-at-nuclear-plant-blown-away-by-wind-3bzc2h5qm