Easter Ross MP says Scottish Government's refusal to consider new nuclear reactors may affect jobs and investment
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North MP Jamie Stone has claimed the Scottish Government's refusal to consider new nuclear power stations could affect jobs and investment.
The Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP said ministers "cannot continue to bury their heads in the sand" on nuclear power.
Mr Stone was speaking in support of a call from the GMB union which has urged the Scottish Government to bid for the small modular reactors (SMRs) which are expected to be built by engineering giant Rolls Royce. The reactors are said to be smaller, more economic and easier to build than conventional ones.
The Liberal Democrat MP said: "The GMB is correct that the Scottish Government's blanket refusal to consider new nuclear power is leaving workers behind. Around 2000 jobs are currently supported by Dounreay, many of them highly skilled. What is the SNP's plan to replace these local jobs once the site decommissions?
"Ministers cannot continue to bury their heads in the sand. If they insist on turning down this potential investment, they should come to Caithness to tell us their alternative plan for employment in the far north."
In a letter to the Scottish Energy Minister Michael Matheson, the union says Rolls Royce has written to several of England’s regional development bodies and the Welsh government asking them to bid for the manufacturing sites, promising investment of up to £200 million and the creation of up to 200 direct jobs. The GMB thinks Scotland "must make a bid for these valuable jobs and funding".
Union senior organiser Drew Duffy said: "Nuclear workers and GMB members across Scotland are in danger of once again being left behind due to the Scottish Government’s continued opposition to nuclear power."
Sites, including Dounreay, have skilled workforces who "face their lives being uprooted as their jobs move to the rest of the UK where new nuclear opportunities are being seized".
Mr Duffy added: "This is not about party politics. This is about protecting the jobs and incomes of Scottish workers, meeting Scotland’s energy needs and achieving net zero through a real just transition.
"The Scottish Government needs to outline if it's opposed to these jobs being in Scotland. If not, then they must begin immediate discussions with Rolls Royce to bid for the factory and the jobs it will bring."
As previously reported, Mr Stone has urged the company, which has a long association with the Vulcan nuclear submarine site near Dounreay, to include the county as a possible location for the new reactor.
The design of the small modular plant is thought to have benefited from experience Rolls Royce gained manufacturing and operating pressurised water reactors tested over many years at Vulcan.
The company hopes to complete its first reactor in the early 2030s and build up to 10 by 2035. The SMRs are said to have a power capacity of 470 megawatts, which it is claimed could power up to one million homes.
