Bridgend Green Party says that the proposed Nuclear Energy plant in the Llynfi Valley is unnecessary, unwanted and unsafe. Locals have a credible reason for concern.
Bridgend Green Party are concerned that an American owned company who call themselves Last Energy are planning to build a nuclear power plant next to the River Llynfi, just to the north of Bridgend. If this development goes ahead, it will be funded by venture capitalists who are not likely to be citizens of Wales. The nuclear power plant will operate for profit, as a private enterprise. This is a new design which if built will be the first of its kind. So the design is untested in the real world. Locals, including local Green Party members have several credible reasons for concern.
The Green Party questions the need for a nuclear power plant, when Wales has the natural resources required to produce all its energy from a mixture of solar power, onshore and off-shore wind generation. It is true that people need secure energy supplies which can be quickly restored, and that Wales needs investment in improving the GRID infrastructure. Nuclear power is not the solution to Wales’ energy needs. As was proved in the December 2024 storm, we desperately need improvements to our energy resilience – such as the ability to restore power after severe climate events, and this should be the focus of any energy investment.
Do locals want a nuclear power plant in Bridgend? Last Energy have hosted two community consultations, one in Bettws and one in Pencoed. Debra Cooper, Green Party Chair for Bridgend attended both events and asked how the locals had been invited to these meetings, given that many locals were unaware that these meetings were taking place. The speaker gave a vague reply that Facebook had been used, and that Last Energy had outsourced the invitations. More consultation events are planned, and we demand that Last Energy genuinely seeks to invite the community to their consultations.
Is nuclear power safe? The risk of nuclear leaks, from the onsite nuclear waste storage is not acceptable. Who will pay for future nuclear waste storage? There is a risk that no other region of the UK will be willing to store the nuclear waste, and that this area will become a long term nuclear waste storage site. The consequences of accidental leakage and terrorist targeting has not been fully considered.
Brian Jones, CND Cymru Vice Chair had this to say about the nuclear power company:
“Last Energy, despite having never built a nuclear reactor, is proposing to build 4 nuclear reactors near Bridgend which, like all nuclear reactors, will produce nuclear waste which needs to be safely contained and monitored for thousands of years. Nuclear power stations have consistently cost more and taken longer to build than originally proposed; Hinkley Point C was estimated to cost £18 billion and generate electricity in 2025, but is now estimated to cost over £40 billion and won’t be finished until at least 2030. At the same time, the cost of renewable energy continues to fall, and renewables are much quicker to install than nuclear power”
How would a nuclear energy plant benefit the people of Wales?
The Green Party View:
This development, if it goes ahead, will not benefit local people. Local people expect decent employment opportunities, and a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay. Last Energy instead has offered to support food banks. This is poor compensation for this development . The Green Party campaigns to end the need for food banks, for a time when people earn a reliable, regular wage which in turn raises society out of the need to resort to a food bank to feed our children.
Bridgend Green Party promotes a transition towards justice. for fair working practices, with green jobs, local food suppliers, small scale locally owned energy companies and sustainable business developments.
Debra Cooper, Bridgend Green Party, along with members of CND, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and Sustainable Wales have attended events organised by Last Energy, which the company described as public consultations. However, it remains unclear why many locals were not aware that the consultations in Bettws and Pencoed were taking place. Debra Cooper raised concerns about how Last Energy advertised these consultation events, and has demanded that Last Energy must improve their communication with local people.
Debra Cooper says “Green Party policy is clear, and without a shadow of doubt. We do not support Nuclear power or the production of nuclear weapons. We are absolutely against the development of a nuclear power station in the Llynfi Valley. We regret that any project of this nature is even considered as a viable energy supplier, and the stress it has inevitably put on local people.”
In order to progress past the earliest stage developers must consult and have the support of the local people of Bridgend County Borough. Safety must not be compromised.
Any new energy developments must involve consulting the local people at the earliest point. It is inevitable that Wales will have to increase the Grid capacity, and develop Green Energy projects. Bridgend Green Party demands that local people are properly involved in coproducing the solution based policies that will bring the necessary benefits to Wales as a whole.
Nuclear Power? The Green Party rejects all forms of nuclear development. Nuclear waste is not the legacy that we should bequeath to our children.
You can download the press release as a PDF here…