'Wylfa decision crucial to clinch Wales nuclear jobs'

THE Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) has warned that a decision on a new nuclear project at Wylfa is “crucial” to secure thousands of skilled Welsh jobs, as new figures show Wales is being left behind in the UK's nuclear jobs boom.

- OWEN HUGHES

According to the NIA’s latest Jobs Map - the sector’s major jobs report - Wales’ nuclear workforce stands at 974 - up from 827 last year - driven largely by a rapid expansion at Boccard in Broughton, Flintshire, to do manufacturing work for Sizewell C.

Decommissioning sustains most nuclear jobs in Wales, including more than 300 in Dwyfor Meirionnydd, home to the former Trawsfynydd power station, and more than 200 from decommissioning Wylfa A.

However, the overall workforce is still a third smaller than a decade ago, when 1,468 people were employed, because of the lack of a new-build projects in Wales. On Ynys Môn, home to Wylfa, jobs have fallen to a record low of just 307, less than half the 795 recorded in 2015.

In stark contrast, nuclear jobs in England have risen by 11,000 in the last year alone - a 13% increase - driven by billions in investment for Sizewell C and Rolls-Royce SMR.

England’s nuclear workforce has grown by nearly two thirds in the past decade, from 58,000 to 92,000.