Prospect urges government to back new nuclear in green recovery plan

Prospect has urged the government to signal it’s support for a new wave of nuclear power stations as part of a green recovery plan to help the country rebuild after the pandemic.

The government are expected to set out plans to boost the economy in the coming weeks, and Prospect have argued that they should take this opportunity to invest in low-carbon infrastructure.

Prospect general secretary Mike Clancy has written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak arguing that:

“When this pandemic is slipping into a distant memory, the climate crisis will be a daily reality for future generations in the UK and around the world. Investing now to decarbonise our energy mix is vital, and there could not be a better time to make this investment than in the wake of this crisis.”

One new nuclear power station in under construction at Hinckley Point C, and Prospect has this week joined groups supporting the construction of further stations at Sizewell in Suffolk and Moorside in Cumbria.

A new report from the Nuclear Industry Association released this week spells out the potential of the sector if the right decisions are taken in the coming months and years. Investing in new nuclear could provide £33bn of economic value to the UK, supporting 300,000 green jobs and providing up to 40% of our future clean electricity generation.

However government has dragged its feet on approving he projects and has delayed a new Energy White Paper that would include a new funding model to help get new nuclear off the ground.

Clancy’s letter therefor concludes by calling on the government to act:

“A signal of the government’s commitment to the future of large-scale new nuclear generation in your statement would be a huge boost to the sector and give potential investors the confidence to act and guarantee these projects and the economic and environment benefits that come with them. I would therefore urge you to demonstrate the government’s confidence in the nuclear sector when you announce your stimulus package in July.”

You can read the letter here: https://library.prospect.org.uk/download/2020/00732