Nuclear Scotland is not ruled out by EDF

Published on Wednesday 26 November 2008 20:12

FRENCH utility giant EDF has revealed that it has not given up hope of building a second nuclear reactor at Torness within the next 20 years, despite the Scottish Government's fierce opposition to nuclear power.

Bernard Dupraz , director general of production and engineering at EDF – which recently bought nuclear operator British Energy in a 12 billion deal – said that he believed the current anti-nuclear political stance north of the Border could have changed dramatically by 2030.

He told The Scotsman: "Energy is a business and nuclear energy is a political business. We respect different governments's views on nuclear energy.

"However, we believe that to have Torness as part of British Energy is something which could create a great opportunity for us in 20 years time or so in terms of building a new plant."

Dupraz added: "In the short-term, we are giving priority to England, where we can build immediately. However, long-term in Scotland, we don't know what's going to happen as far as the government is concerned. Things could change."

Torness, in East Lothian, is due to be decommissioned in 2023.

The Scottish Government's anti-nuclear stance has sparked fears that the jobs of some of British Energy's 1,400 Scottish staff may be in jeopardy following the acquisition by EDF.

EDF refused to comment on whether any of the 10,000 jobs created around the construction of four new power plants in England will be based at the firm's East Kilbride headquarters.

Dupraz said: "We have no plans to move British Energy's headquarters away from East Kilbride. It is not any more difficult for us to have British Energy's headquarters in a place where the government is opposed to nuclear power than it was for British Energy."

EDF plans to build a total of four new nuclear plants in England over the next decade, creating thousands of new jobs.

It also wants to create a centre of excellence somewhere in the UK to train British engineers to work on new nuclear reactors.

Dupraz said: "It is too early to say where all of these jobs will be or whether any of them will be in East Kilbride.

"Some of them will have to be at the power station sites, but we have not yet decided where the others will be located."

A spokesman for finance minister John Swinney said: "Scotland has a wealth and array of renewable options.

"We believe that nuclear power is dangerous and very costly to run and decommission. Given the plethora of renewable options in Scotland, we feel there simply isn't any need to go down the nuclear route."

He added that the government was on track to meet its renewables targets.

Power plant sites put up for sale

LAND next to three nuclear power sites is being put up for sale, raising the prospect of new operators entering the energy market by building new stations.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority yesterday said four separate lots will be disposed of, at Wylfa in North Wales and Oldbury in Gloucestershire, next to operating Magnox stations, and at Bradwell in Essex, next to a Magnox power station currently being decommissioned.

Two plots of land are up for sale at Wylfa, including one owned by EDF.

A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change said: "We want to see more than one new nuclear operator in the UK and this sale has the potential to make that a reality.

"The land on offer will be highly attractive to power companies interested in new build, alongside separate plans from EDF for four reactors on British Energy sites."

EDF said it supported the UK government's objective to have more than one participant in new nuclear build in the UK.

It added that the announcement marked the start of the disposal process and

said that the commencement of the auction process was conditional upon EDF's offer for British Energy becoming "unconditional in all respects".

The statement continued: "The offers are subject to final regulatory approval and sufficient British Energy shareholders accepting the offers."