A NORTH Wales nuclear power plant may be sold off under controversial plans leaked last night. The board of British Nuclear Fuels was yesterday believed to have decided to sell the company's clean-up subsidiary. It may mean an overseas buyer stepping forward to snap up Anglesey's aging Wylfa Magnox nuclear station, due to start shutting down in five years' time.. Unions last night warned it would weaken the UK's influence over the future of the industry. The move came just two days after prime minister Tony Blair told the Labour Party Conference he wanted a debate about Britain's future energy needs, including nuclear. BNFL's decision will have to be ratified by a body which is appointed by the Department of Trade and Industry but this is expected to be a rubber-stamping exercise. The decision will affect the ownership of 12 sites, including Wylfa. Other sites are being decommissioned. Around 8,000 employees would be affected by the decision. A spokesman for the biggest union involved, Prospect, said: "We fear decisions about new nuclear power stations being built would no longer be under the control of the government if the sale goes overseas. "We believe the government must maintain a strong influence rather than leaving the industry to market forces." BNFL was not available for comment. * Wylfa Power Station was the last and largest power station of its type to be built in the UK. It started electricity generation in 1971 with production due to cease in 2010, said the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. Fuel will be progressively removed from the reactors and sent to Sellafield for treatment. Decommissioning could cost an expected £1.7bn, with the site cleared by 2035. | 
