A US start-up has announced plans to build four micro-nuclear power plants in South Wales.

Last Energy UK, a subsidiary of Washington DC-based Last Energy, will privately fund the £300m project pending planning and licensing approval from the Welsh government.

The firm is conducting site surveys for a vacant 14-acre plot in Bridgend Country, which housed the coal-fired Llynfi Power Station until 1977.

How the proposals in South Wales could look

Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero, Lord Hunt, said: “New nuclear projects can revitalise communities by repurposing old industrial sites and injecting new jobs and investment.”

Generating the equivalent energy consumed by around 244,000 UK homes annually, the 20 MWe stations would deliver power primarily to mid-sized manufacturers in the region.

Last Energy UK chief executive Michael Jenner said: “Last Energy’s Llynfi project will not only transform a vacant coal site into a hub for clean energy production, it will also create economic opportunity for companies throughout South Wales.

The assembly of Last Energy’s PWR-20 plants has been likened to Lego as factory-built modules are designed to be put together swiftly onsite within two years.

Last Energy said it will begin identifying local suppliers to support plant manufacturing, on-site installation, maintenance and security.

The developer has deals to provide 80 units throughout the UK and Europe.

Its goal is to deliver 10,000 units over the next 15 years, although none of its plants are currently operating anywhere in the world.