‘Nae need’ for new nuclear to achieve ‘net zero’ in Scotland, says NFLA
Posted: 15th January 2022
NFLA media release, 12th January 2022, For immediate use
‘Nae need’ for new nuclear to achieve ‘net zero’ in Scotland, says NFLA
The Chair of the Scottish Forum of the Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) network has railed against a proposal to bring a new nuclear plant to Caithness stating clearly that as the nation moves inexorably towards a renewable future there is ‘nae need for new nuclear’ in Scotland.
Figures published by the Scottish Government in June of last year show that 95.9% of gross electricity consumption in 2020 came from renewable sources (1), and that, as the trend continues to move upward, the Scottish Government’s aspiration for 100% renewable energy by 2030 looks likely sooner rather than later (2).
In March 2021, Scotland had 11.9 GW of renewable energy in place, with on-shore wind (58.6%), off-shore wind (10.4%) and hydro-electric (18.5%) contributing most of the power, whilst a further 14.6 GW of capacity is planned or already in development (1).
For Councillor Feargal Dalton, Chair of the NFLA Scottish Forum, this means only one thing:
“The figures speak for themselves. Scotland is fast nearing total self-sufficiency in electric power based on currently available, clean, and safe renewable technologies alone.
“The closure of the Dounreay, Hunterston and Torness plants will only leave the Scottish people with the costly legacy of a decommissioning and clean-up process that will take over a century to complete and the ongoing liability of managing toxic nuclear waste safely for millennia.
“The UK Government seems intent upon forcing the Scottish people to pay towards the outrageous cost of foolishly developing new nuclear plants in England through the Nuclear Energy (Financing) Bill, but why would we want to bring more of the same to Scotland?”
Given the good news on renewables, Councillor Dalton has been shocked to hear recent news that Jaime Stone, British Member of Parliament for Caithness, Sutherland, and Easter Ross, has invited Rolls Royce for talks on locating a new reactor in the area. Rolls Royce is developing a new modular reactor which has received over £200 million in taxpayer support from the UK Government. The company estimates that the earliest an operational system could be deployed, if ever, is in the early 2030’s (3).
Councillor Feargal Dalton had this to say to MP Jaime Stone:
“I totally understand Mr Stone’s concerns about the future employment prospects of his constituents, but I would urge him to think again about his support for new nuclear and to instead get behind renewables.
“There is clearly no need, and almost no public support, for new nuclear in Scotland, and we need to tackle climate change now. The Rolls Royce technology is unproven, and civil nuclear projects continue to be notorious for being delivered years late or at an eye-wateringly inflated cost and there is no guarantee that the project will not eventually be cancelled because it took too long or cost too much.
“It would therefore be far more sensible for Mr Stone to devote his energies to bringing to the far north of Scotland greater investment in proven new renewable technology businesses. These will deliver the well-paid, skilled and sustainable jobs that his constituents deserve, and they are what we need to make our Scottish nation 100% carbon ‘net zero’”.
Notes to Editors
- The Scottish Government – Energy Statistics for Scotland Q1 2021 – 29 June 2021
- BBC News – Rolls-Royce gets funding to develop mini nuclear reactors – 9 Nov 2021
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-5921298