29 Oct (NucNet): A consortium of GDF Suez, Iberdrola and Scottish and Southern Energy has secured an option to buy 190 hectares of land for the development of a new nuclear power plant at Sellafield in England.
The consortium said it had acquired the option from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) for a total cash consideration of 70 million pounds (115 million US dollars, 77 million euro).
The consortium now intends to prepare detailed plans for developing a new nuclear power station at the site with an installed generating capacity of up to 3.6 gigawatts electric. No reactor design was specified, but the consortium said it would submit plans for consideration by planning authorities with the aim of beginning construction of a new plant around 2015.
The consortium said it will also prepare a plan for “maximising the contribution” of UK-based suppliers and UK-based employees to the new development at Sellafield.
The NDA said the sale will result in an upfront payment of GBP 19.5 million for the NDA, followed by a further payment of at least GBP 50.5 million in the next six years.
The sale represents another step in the NDA's programme of assets disposal, the aim of which is to raise funds which the NDA can put towards its core mission of decommissioning the UK’s fleet of existing nuclear power plants.
In a statement on 28 October 2009 the consortium partners acknowledged that “significant investments” are required in the UK to replace the existing fleet of nuclear and coal power plants nearing decommissioning.
The statement said: “These investments are critical for the security of electricity supply and the targeted reductions of CO2 emissions.”
The consortium was formed earlier this year to participate in the UK’s nuclear new build programme. GDF Suez and Iberdrola both hold 37.5 percent while Scottish and Southern Energy holds 25 percent.
Sellafield, on England’s north-west coast in Cumbria, is one of 11 sites listed by the Department of Energy and Climate Change as a potential location for a new nuclear power plant.
It has been the site of nuclear weapons programmes and nuclear power plants since 1947.
>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
UK Names Potential Sites For New Nuclear Units (News in Brief No. 43, 15 April 2009)
French And German Groups Win UK Nuclear Land Auction (News No. 38, 30 April 2009)
UK Puts Sellafield Land Up For Sale (News in Brief No. 73, 11 June 2009)
