LONDON, United Kingdom - A UK government body is in talks to buy Welsh land from Hitachi that could house a new nuclear plant after the Japanese giant scrapped construction plans, media reported Monday.

Great British Nuclear has held "preliminary talks" with Hitachi to acquire the land ahead of finding a private partner to help construct a new facility, said the Financial Times (FT) newspaper, citing an unnamed minister.

Hitachi in 2020 axed its planned multi-billion-pound nuclear facility at the Wylfa Newydd site on Anglesey island off the northwest coast of Wales, blaming soaring costs and souring economic climate amid the Covid pandemic.

"Wylfa is one of a number of potential sites that could host civil nuclear projects," a government spokesman told AFP when questioned about the FT report.

"Whilst no decisions on sites have yet been taken, we are working with Great British Nuclear to support access to potential sites for new nuclear projects," he added.

The British government is looking to tap into more nuclear power under plans to help meet its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

"We've ended the stop-start approach to nuclear and recently launched a roadmap setting out the biggest expansion of the sector in 70 years, simplifying regulation and shortening the process for building new power stations," the spokesman said.

This strategy would mean "cleaner, cheaper and more secure energy in the long-term", he added.

The UK wants to increase the share of nuclear in the country's energy mix since it does not emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Its use as an alternative to fossil fuels is highly controversial, however, with environmental groups warning about safety risks around the disposal of nuclear waste.