The UK Government has identified new nuclear power as being a key building block for a low carbon future. With more than 45 years’ experience of all aspects of nuclear plant operation, waste management and decommissioning, the RWE Group is well positioned to contribute to a programme of new nuclear build in the UK.

Building new nuclear power stations is a key part of our commitment to meet the UK’s energy needs and to reduce carbon dioxide intensity. The UK power industry needs significant investment in the next decade to replace ageing coal and nuclear power stations and help deliver an affordable, lower carbon economy.

As part of our ambitions, RWE npower has secured two sites for possible new nuclear generation on the West Cumbrian coast. We have also secured options to buy farmland suitable for nuclear development at Wylfa on Anglesey, as well as securing a grid connection offer, which provides the rights to feed electricity into the national grid.

In addition, our joint venture with E.ON UK, Horizon Nuclear Power, has secured further land at Wylfa, on Anglesey, and Oldbury, in Gloucestershire, which was sold for nuclear development by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) in April 2009. Our objective is to deliver around 6GW of new nuclear build, with the first station coming online at around the end of the next decade.

Developing new nuclear power stations requires a substantial level of investment and expertise. The joint venture will provide the financial stability, knowledge and expertise required to support a programme of this scale and complexity.