Horizon Nuclear Power has given a project management contract to Bechtel for its proposed 2,700MW Wylfa Newydd nuclear power project on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales.
Image: Illustration of the Wylfa Newydd nuclear power project. Photo: courtesy of Horizon Nuclear Power.
As the project management contractor (PMC), Bechtel will have its management, procurement, and subcontract management professionals embedded within Horizon Nuclear Power.
The 200 or so Bechtel personnel will oversee the commercial and contractual relationships with local, UK, and global suppliers needed for the completion of the Wylfa Newydd nuclear power project.
The £16bn nuclear power project is expected to enter into operations in the mid 2020s with construction likely to commence in 2020, depending on receipt of approvals.
Horizon Nuclear Power said that the embedding of Bechtel employees within its organization will be identical to the kind of client/contractor relationship that had previously developed four ABWR nuclear reactors.
The British energy company has also given additional contracts to Hitachi Nuclear Energy Europe and JGC New Energy UK to continue to provide support during the development phase of the Welsh nuclear power plant.
Hitachi Nuclear Energy Europe will be the architect engineer and supply the UK Advanced Boiling Water Reactors for the Wylfa Newydd nuclear power project.
On the other hand, JGC will continue to deliver a variety of specialist services around the ‘Balance of Plant’, the supporting components and systems required to deliver the energy beyond the generating unit itself.
The new nuclear power plant is an important part of the UK’s plans for generating low-carbon energy with the replacement of aging nuclear stations and fossil fuel plants with modern nuclear plants and renewable energy.
Horizon Nuclear Power CEO Duncan Hawthorne said: “These world-leading companies bring a wealth of nuclear, engineering and construction expertise to complement our growing organisation and will help us replicate the cost and schedule successes of the previous four ABWR reactors.
“The UK still needs reliable nuclear power to help transform our energy mix, and we are gearing up to deliver that. Our first power station will be cheaper than what has gone before and after that, with smart financing, supply chain learnings and no need for first time overheads, future project costs will fall further still.”
Recently, Horizon Nuclear Power secured environmental approval from the European Commission for the Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station.