Albert Owen
Main Page: Albert Owen (Labour - Ynys Môn)
Mr Davey
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. This is not only good news and a huge vote of confidence for the UK’s energy policy; it is also good news for British industry. Hitachi has already signed a memorandum of understanding with Rolls-Royce and Babcock, and the supply chain potential is huge, with 6,000 jobs during construction at Wylfa and Oldbury, and 1,000 permanent jobs after construction. When I announced the Hitachi decision, I also announced that we had set up the Nuclear Industry Council to enable the Government to work with the industry to maximise the potential for the supply chain in this country.
Albert Owen (Ynys Môn) (Lab)
As the Secretary of State said, the decision by Hitachi to purchase Horizon Nuclear Power is a vote of confidence in Anglesey, in north Wales and in UK plc, and I am proud to bat for all three. Will he give the House an assurance that, to make this project a reality, the Office for Nuclear Regulation will have adequate resources to assess the new technology, in order to ensure that we have safe nuclear generation as soon as is practical?
Mr Davey
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. I pay tribute to him, to the Government of Wales and to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales for the important role that they have all played in this deal. I can confirm that the Office for Nuclear Regulation will have all the resources it needs to go through the generic design assessment for the advanced boiling water reactors that Hitachi is proposing.