[19] The decision deadline for the Development Consent Order was subsequently postponed until 31 December 2020, to allow Horizon time to pursue discussions with unnamed parties interested in nuclear new build at Wylfa.

Westinghouse had lost out in a bid for the site to Hitachi in 2012, and would likely use the AP1000 reactor which had already passed the GDA process when the firm was involved in the Moorside nuclear power station project.

[21][22] On 10 November 2020, it emerged that a US consortium led by engineering group Bechtel was engaged in discussions to resume the Wylfa project[23] and was pitching it as a 'levelling up' opportunity, something that the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had made one of his top priorities.

[24] If a deal is reached, activity would resume rapidly at the Wylfa site, as the consortium aims to provide electricity to the national grid on a similar timescale to that proposed by Horizon, at a market competitive price, despite a switch in reactor technology.

The consortium, which also includes US utilities provider Southern Company and Westinghouse, received strong support from the Trump administration, which had repeatedly urged the UK not to pursue nuclear deals with China.

[25] A deal would need to be reached with Hitachi for the consortium to acquire the site, and the plans would also be contingent on the funding model to be introduced by the government for large nuclear projects in the UK.

Duncan Hawthorne, chief executive of Horizon Nuclear Power, said: "...we will take steps to reduce our presence but keep the option to resume development in future".

[41] The UK government had been expected to grant a development consent order in a move to restart the project,[42] but subsequently deferred the decision deadline until 31 March 2020, which was then pushed further back to 30 September 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Substantive progress has already been made at Wylfa Newydd which has the capacity to provide enough clean power to effectively meet all of Wales' electricity demand, a tried and tested reactor technology, world-leading international partners, a competitive price, and a supportive community.

[46]On 16 August 2020, the Financial Times reported that Horizon had been in detailed conversations with the UK government to convince ministers that the project could be restarted quickly and in a cost effective manner, providing the regulated asset base model of funding is approved.

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.