Nuclear plans ‘may be put back to 2030’
BRITAIN’S nuclear ambitions were thrown into doubt last night amid fears that a change of control at Moorside could set the project back by ‘years’.
The Cumbrian plant is one of the UK’s three key nuclear power projects, alongside Hinkley Point and Sizewell.
It is to be built by NuGen, a firm 60 per cent owned by Toshiba, which will also supply the three reactors through its subsidiary Westinghouse.
But the Japanese company has been dogged by concerns over its financial stability. And speculation is growing that US-based Westinghouse will trigger bankruptcy protection rules within days to restructure.
South Korea’s Kepco last week signalled it may step in to rescue the Moorside plant. But local campaigners say that if Kepco scraps plans to use Westinghouse reactors in favour of its own, the power station would be unlikely to be switched on until after 2030.
Martin Forwood of Core, which opposes further nuclear development in the Sellafield area, said: ‘Why would Kepco or any other new sponsor take on someone else’s reactors?’
NuGen’s target of a 2024 launch has already slipped by more than two years. Forwood said the approval process for new reactors would further delay it by ‘four or five years’.
He said more delays may continue to discourage other businesses, adding: ‘West Cumbria has vast potential for renewable energy – wind, wave and tidal power – that we can start building today.’