Atomic power is at centre of Greg's life; INTERVIEW WITH WYLFA DIRECTOR Wylfa boss pushes for extension to electricity generation at plant.

Byline: By DAVID JONES Business Correspondent

GREG Evans' first sighting of Anglesey was through a periscope.

He was an American sailor on a nuclear submarine sailing through the Irish Sea on its way to the Faslane base on the River Clyde and the captain had called him to the eyepiece to see Wales from a unique perspective.

At the time he was submarine reactor operator, and since then Wales and the nuclear industry have become entwined themes in Evans' life.

He worked in the on-shore nuclear power industries in the USA and UK after leaving the navy then moved to Anglesey where he is now site director at Wylfa nuclear power station.

The San Franciscan is a strong advocate of nuclear energy and a supporter of both the idea of extending the working life of the existing nuclear plant and the building of a replacement facility.

Wylfa is run on behalf the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) by Magnox North, a subsidiary of Utah based Energy Solutions.

Evans started work at Anglesey's nuclear plant as production manager in 2001, transferring for a year to Trawsfynydd as site director, before returning to Wylfa as site director in 2005. Apart from Wylfa, he also has responsibility for the 30mw Maentwrog hydro-electricity station.

"Wylfa was designed as a 1,100mw station, but over the years we have reduced that and on a decent winter's day we can get 930mw," he says.

"That's enough to supply about 40% of Wales' total need.

"We've prepared a business case for the NDA on the extension of Wylfa's lifespan beyond its December 2010 closure date.

"We've looked at the plant and its fuel stocks, our manpower and external needs. We've put together a business case that demonstrates significant value to the NDA and the tax payer in extending the life of Wylfa by two to three years. The NDA has accepted that business case."

The other half of the argument, of course, involves Magnox North presenting a sound safety case for allowing Wylfa to remain a power generator.

That submission will go to the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII), part of the Health and Safety Executive, for endorsement.

If the NII gives approval, the NDA must then decide whether to take up the option of extending the station's lifespan.

Evans says an extension to 2013 - but not to 2014-would be feasible, given the need to send the spent fuel from Wylfa to Sellafield for reprocessing before the Cumbrian site closes in 2015.

Over the past five years up to pounds 100m has been spent at Wylfa as part of continuous improvements to the site, largely centred around the replacement or refurbishment of aging non-nuclear components, such as the instrumentation and control system, but also the maintenance of nuclear components.

The economic importance of Wylfa to Anglesey's economy cannot be overstated.

It's the largest private sector employer on the island and employs about 650 full-time staff - 70% of them from North Wales - and another 200-250 full-time subcontractors.

Almost all its annual budget of between pounds 90m-pounds 100m goes back into the local economy through wages and supply chain purchases.

The combined contribution from the Wylfa plant and the Anglesey Aluminium smelter at Holyhead to the GDP of the island is around 40%.

Evans says Wylfa's performance has been outstanding and there's a good argument for a new nuclear plant there.

At least two European consortia of energy companies are thought to be bidding for the Wylfa site. A new nuclear power plant - or, more likely, twin plants - could be operational by 2018 if planning consent is granted by 2012.

They would provide more than 1,000 jobs on the island.

Evans says it provides a great opportunity for youngsters on the island, as many of the workers needed for a Wylfa B are currently in school. He is currently working with Anglesey's secondary schools, Coleg Menai and Bangor University to encourage students to consider a career in science and technology and ensure the right training will be available.

Evans has promoted a policy of transparency at Wylfa. "There's nothing at Wylfa we don't want people to see. We enjoy good local support for what we do, although we are aware we're not 100% popular."

He lives near the nuclear plant with his family and over the past eight years has acquired more than just a smattering of Welsh.

For his wife Helen, who also works at Wylfa as head of security, safety and quality, Welsh was the first language.

Evans says he has a "very good feeling" for Anglesey and its people, and experiences a sense of "coming back home" every time he crosses the bridge over the Menai Strait.

"My grandfather, who emigrated to America from the Pwllheli area, always said to me: 'You want to get yourself back to Wales. It's God's country, a great place to raise a family'. All the types of things you would expect a grandfather to say," says Evans.

His grandfather, it seems, was right.

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CAPTION(S):

American Greg Evans is site director at Wylfa nuclear power station on Anglesey