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Wylfa nuclear project: Donald Trump plea over site sale dismissed

Getty Images Wylfa Nuclear Power Station at Cemaes Bay, Anglesey, North Wales.Getty Images
The new Wylfa power station would be built next to the old power plant on Anglesey

Hitachi has said it has no plans to sell a Welsh nuclear power site to a Chinese corporation after comments by Donald Trump.

The US president was quoted by the Sunday Times warning it not to sell Wylfa, on Anglesey, "to China".

Work on the £13bn project was put on hold last year because of rising costs after Hitachi failed to reach a funding agreement with the UK government.

A Horizon Energy spokesman said: "We don't comment on speculation.

"Our focus remains on securing the conditions necessary to restart this crucial project, which would bring transformative economic benefits to the region and play a huge role in helping deliver the UK's climate change commitments."

Horizon is owned by Hitachi and was set to lead the project to build the site.

Wylfa was earmarked as having the potential to power up to five million homes, but the project was put on hold as the upfront costs rose.

With 9,000 workers ready for the construction phase, the decision in January 2019 was described as "a tremendous blow" by business leaders.

Horizon Nuclear Wylfa NewyddHorizon Nuclear
Work on Wylfa was due to start in 2020

The Sunday Times report said China's General Nuclear Power Corporation was keen to buy the site as part of plans to build a fleet of nuclear reactors.

"We are not aware of any plans to sell the project to China," Hitachi told the Reuters news agency.

The Wylfa plant was due to be operational by the mid-2020s.