In a potential setback for Britain's plans to add new units to its aging reactor fleet, Areva and China Guangdong Nuclear Power have suspended their interest in buying Horizon Nuclear Power.
The later company was pursuing projects at the Wylfa and Oldbury plants; and Areva's European Pressurized Reactor design was the furthest along in the UK's regulatory process. In March E.ON and RWE announced they would sell the Horizon joint venture, which aligns with Germany's move away from nuclear power following the Fukushima Daiichi accidents in Japan. The potential sale also drew bids from groups led by Westinghouse and Hitachi. On Wednesday, the Guardian newspaper also reported that potential Westinghouse partner China National Nuclear Power Corp. has also backed out over unspecified commitments the UK government would not grant.
The Horizon projects were among efforts to build new units at several sites around the country to address rising energy demand and the decommissioning of the country's existing reactors. According to the World Nuclear Association, the British government has anticipated 60 gigawatts of new generation will be required by 2025, with 35 gigawatts coming from renewables and a "significant portion" of the rest coming from nuclear.