Prospect will work with EDF to ensure the best future for all its members at Hunterston B

EDF has today announced that it will will resume generation from a reactor at Hunterston B but also announced that the  power station in Scotland will cease generating by the end of 2021.

Hunterston B power station

This is the earliest point within the previously forecast four year window. This means a shorter period than was anticipated to ensure a transition for Prospect members at Hunterston B into other roles such as defuelling.

Prospect and fellow unions have been working with EDF over the last two years to ensure that the views of members are taken into account going forward. This includes aspirational conversations to see if staff wanted to: stay at Hunterston B for the defuelling stage (around 3 years) prior to decommissioning; transfer elsewhere in the company; take voluntary redundancy; or want help to find work elsewhere in the community using EDF’s operational experience in the closure of Cottam power station. This work is well advanced and will continue.

Alan Leighton, Prospect National Secretary, said:

“Prospect welcomes the resumption of generation at Hunterston B. It is disappointing however that due to technical reasons the power station will stop generating earlier than may have been expected, increasing pressure on workers who were already considering their futures.

“Prospect is working closely with EDF to identify opportunities for the workforce, either in Hunterston B’s next phase, elsewhere in the company, or in the community. Achieving the best possible outcome for all involved remains Prospect’s primary focus.

“Hunterston B is one of a number of power stations reaching the end of their generating life. Its impending closure highlights the need for a properly thought out and integrated approach to ensuring a just transition for workers in the energy sector.

“It also highlights the need for government to act now, support the next generation of nuclear power at e.g. Sizewell C and Moorside, and safeguard the jobs, skills and capacity this country requires.”