Green light for nuclear manufacturing at freeport
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Campaigners have criticised the Scottish Government for leaving the door open to manufacturing new nuclear power plants in the Highlands.
The net zero minister reiterated the government's long-term opposition to operating nuclear plants in Scotland but said there were huge opportunities in the supply chain.
MSP Michael Matheson was responding to a letter from anti-nuclear groups who have called for the so-called green freeport in the Cromarty Firth, as well as one in the Forth, to not include manufacturing of parts for small modular reactors.
The Scottish Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) and Highlands Against Nuclear Power (HANP) wrote to Mr Matheson hoping for reassurance that the two new green freeports planned in Scotland would not include a manufacturing plant to produce prefabricated parts for small modular reactors, such as those planned by Rolls-Royce.
He told them: "The Scottish Government's position on traditional nuclear fission energy has not changed – we do not support the building of new nuclear fission power stations in Scotland under current technologies. Whilst we do not support any project bringing new nuclear energy to Scotland, we do support maximising supply-chain opportunities for Scottish companies.
"The nuclear market, both in the rest of the UK and overseas, offers substantial economic opportunities. We do not wish to prevent or discourage Scottish firms from bidding for and undertaking work for this sector."
Tor Justad, chairman of HANP, said there was no need for nuclear power given the potential for renewables across the Highlands.
He said: “The green freeports should represent a real opportunity to provide truly ‘green’ jobs for Scottish workers, including workers displaced over time from nuclear operations at Chapelcross, Dounreay, Hunterston, and Torness.
"There are already well-established plans for Scotland to generate huge amounts of electricity from future offshore wind developments already in the planning and there is also the huge and largely untapped potential for tidal and geothermal energy.
“There is no reason why these green freeports cannot be sites where specialist businesses employing Scottish workers manufacture the necessary parts or provide the vital support services that will be needed to sustain these industries.”
Paul Leinster, convenor of the Scottish NFLA, said: “We are glad that the minister has once more stated that there will be no new nuclear power generation on site, but bemused that it would be acceptable for a manufacturing facility to be located there that would make parts that would be shipped elsewhere to enable nuclear power generation to take place outside Scotland.
"Nuclear is not ‘green’ – although the industry makes much of its claim that electricity generation is carbon free this fails to take account of the huge carbon footprint that any nuclear plant creates throughout its lifecycle and once it is decommissioned.”
