A former power plant site in Anglesey has been selected for the UK’s next major nuclear station development with talks now set to start with potential developers and operators.
If developed, Wylfa could provide enough clean power for six million homes for 60 years, said the Department of Energy.
Wylfa would be of a similar size to Hinkley in Somerset and Sizewell in Suffolk, with hopes it would bring thousands of jobs and investment to the area.
Claire Coutinho, Energy Security Secretary, said: "Wylfa would not only bring clean, reliable power to millions of homes - it could create thousands of well-paid jobs and bring investment to the whole of North Wales."
Wylfa was the site of an old-style Magnox nuclear power station, which stopped generating power at the end of 2015 and has since been decommissioned.
Japanese giant Hitachi pulled out of a previous project there in 2019 because of rising costs
Britain’s net zero targets are for around a quarter of its electricity to come from nuclear by 2050 against 15% currently and from a combination of mega plants and small modular reactors or SMRs.
Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: "Wylfa is the best site in Europe for a big nuclear project: It has an existing grid connection, the hard bedrock ideal for a nuclear power station, superior cooling water access, and some work to clear the site for large-scale construction was already done by the previous developer."
Labour's shadow energy minister Alan Whitehead said: "We welcome the government finally moving forward with a nuclear project identified by the last Labour government.”