Historic legacy of nuclear power and skilled workforce at risk, says IPPR report

Nuclear power will disappear from the north of England by 2030 in the absence of a clear vision and roadmap from the government, says an important new report published by IPPR.

The north of England has an important legacy, being home to the world’s first operational nuclear power plant at Calder Hall, Cumbria, which opened in 1956.

While the authors welcome the confirmation of Sizewell C in Suffolk, the report says that there are no further government plans for new nuclear projects beyond 2035 and the detrimental effect this would have on the nuclear workforce and communities in the north.

Their research shows how the nuclear industry has a long-standing history of creating good jobs with salaries that are often higher than regional averages; and how nuclear jobs are vastly more important to the local economy than the national economy.

The IPPR report was supported by TUSNE, Trade Unionists for Safe Nuclear Energy, which counts Prospect among its members. It calls on the need to develop Small Modular Reactors to meet future energy demand, and to create future jobs across the country.

It also makes the following recommendations:

• Long-term nuclear programme: The government should prepare a detailed nuclear roadmap through 2050, outlining specific projects, technology choices, and timelines, prioritising existing nuclear sites where feasible.
• Workforce plan: A comprehensive workforce strategy should be developed to identify jobs and plan transitions, while giving affected workers at least three years’ notice.
• Supportive policies for workers: Travel and housing subsidies for workers, funding to retrain, guaranteed interviews for new jobs, union access and high health and safety standards.

The full IPPR report ‘Nuclear enrichment: Building a stable and effective nuclear workforce‘ is available to download here.