Ministers should unveil their energy White Paper urgently to
allay fears about the future of the UK’s nuclear industry,
following the announcement that Hitachi is pulling out of the
Wylfa nuclear project and EDF Energy is bringing forward its
closure of the Hunterston nuclear power station in Ayrshire.
Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, fears that the
closure of the Hunterston by January 2022 will have an adverse
knock-on impact on jobs at Springfields Fuels in Preston,
Lancashire which produces the fuel to power the country’s civil
nuclear reactors.
Unite is calling on , the secretary for business, energy and industrial
strategy, to publish the long-awaited White Paper on energy and
to ensure that any future nuclear power stations use the fuel
that is produced at Springfields, which supports an estimated
4,000 highly skilled jobs in the north west.
The need for the White Paper is given extra urgency by
yesterday’s (Tuesday 15 September) news that Hitachi is
withdrawing from the Wylfa Newydd nuclear build project in
Anglesey and the devastating blow that will mean for the Welsh
economy. Horizon Nuclear Power has now announced it will be
ceasing its activities to develop two projects in the UK
following the Hitachi decision.
The TUC this week passed a motion to lobby government to take
immediate steps to establish a tripartite forum, including the
recognised unions, to secure the future of Springfields Fuels and
the high quality jobs that it supports. It also reiterated the
call for the publication of the White Paper.
Unite national officer for energy Peter McIntosh said: “We
desperately need clarity in the energy White Paper which ensures
nuclear power is a crucial part of the energy ‘mix’ in the
decades ahead, providing a source of ‘clean’ and reliable
electricity, as well as creating skilled ‘green’ employment.
“A strong commitment to ‘new’ nuclear will give a confidence
boost to the future development of such sites as Bradwell
(Essex), Moorside (Cumbria) and Sizewell (Suffolk), following the
devastating announcement yesterday that Hitachi won’t be
proceeding with the Wylfa project and the news from Horizon
today.
“Bringing forward the closure of Hunterson does raise worries for
our members at Springfields in Preston – and we will need their
highly prized skills in the post-pandemic, post-Brexit economy.
“Unite calls on business secretary to outline a coherent strategy in the White Paper that
knits together the needs of the economy, the consumer, the energy
sector and all those who work in it.”
