Cabinet Secretary, Ken Skates has said Hinkley Point will provide a huge boost for the Welsh supply chain and should be built using UK Steel.
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
His comments follow the UK Government’s decision to go ahead with Hinkley Point, which is the first in a pipeline of the UK Government’s proposed new nuclear projects, designed to help secure the availability of reliable, affordable and low carbon electricity across Britain.
The Economy Secretary said now that the project was confirmed it must be used to support major manufacturing and engineering industries in Wales, like steel.
Ken Skates said:
“Although the decision on Hinkley has taken a long time to be made, it is excellent news for the nuclear sector across the UK and provides a much needed boost to the supply chain.
“The decision could also play an important part in supporting our steel industry in the UK, a major part of which is located here in Wales. I am calling on the UK Government to make sure it is supplied by steel from Port Talbot and our other steel producers here in Wales, and that opportunities for the wider UK supply chain are maximised.
“The go ahead for Hinkley will also increase the confidence levels of key developers such as Horizon Nuclear Power, NuGen and their Tier 1 supply chain to invest in the UK and Wales which is excellent news for our economy.”
The £18 billion project at Hinkley Point will in time power six million homes and create more than 25,000 jobs in the UK.
The Cabinet Secretary added:
“We have been very clear that following the uncertainty of the European Referendum result Wales is, and will remain, open for business. This decision on Hinkley must be used to benefit Wales.
“We must now seize that opportunity to develop our manufacturing, engineering and service companies’ capability and capacity to deliver into the civil nuclear sector supply chain.
“We are already in regular contact with the Hinkley Point C Supply Chain team to explore opportunities for Welsh companies. We will now be working to build on this to ensure the benefits of the huge investment at Hinkley are felt right across the Welsh supply chain .”