Chair of Scottish CND has written to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) about radiological contamination incidents from Coulport.
Scottish CND asked for assurances that SEPA will not keep future similar incidents secret and have requested a meeting with SEPA officials.
Scotland has a proud nuclear heritage. When Chapelcross opened in 1959, it powered generations of local jobs and helped keep the lights on across the country.
Since then, Scotland has benefited from decades of clean, reliable nuclear energy – from Hunterston nuclear power station in the west to Torness in the east. But while the rest of Britain is embracing the next generation of nuclear energy, the Scottish Government continues to block any new development.
That’s why pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade is stepping up its campaign with another town hall meeting on ending Scotland’s ban on new nuclear power stations. The latest meeting will take place in Edinburgh on Wednesday 16th July from 6:00pm in the Library Room at Riddle’s Court.
The event will bring together the public, trade unions and industry experts to make the case for nuclear power in Scotland’s energy future. It follows a similar meeting in Torness held earlier in the year.
Torness, Scotland’s last operating nuclear plant, is due to close in 2030. Yet the Scottish Government has refused to say if it will be allowed to continue to generate power into the 2030s, or what will come after it such as Small Modular Reactors.
These mini nuclear reactors are smaller, cheaper and quicker to build than traditional nuclear reactors. And because of their size they can be built in a wider range of sites, such as those once occupied by coal-fired power stations and other industrial sites.
Recent polling carried out by respected pollsters Opinium on behalf of Britain Remade found that the Scottish Government is not only out of step with the rest of the UK but also with its own supporters.
The poll found that over half (52%) of those who voted for the SNP in 2021 believe nuclear power should be included in Scotland’s energy mix to meet the Scottish Government’s 2045 net zero target. While 56% of all Scottish adults thought the same.
Sam Richards, CEO of Britain Remade, said: “For more than 60 years Scotland has led the way in clean nuclear power. But the SNP’s refusal to support new nuclear development risks throwing all that away – and with it, thousands of jobs, billions in investment, and Scotland’s energy security.
“Scotland has the engineering expertise, the proud track record, and the industrial sites ready to go. But unless the Scottish Government lifts its ban the investment and jobs will go to countries like Sweden and Finland who have embraced clean, reliable nuclear energy.
“As part of our campaign, we are keen for as many people in and around Edinburgh to show their support for a modern nuclear future.
“It’s critical that local people make their voices heard. That’s why we’re urging everyone who believes in the clean energy, jobs, and secure future that new nuclear energy brings to come along to our town hall on the 16th July.”
‘GOLDEN AGE OF CLEAN ENERGY ABUNDANCE’ – ED MILIBAND
Ten thousand jobs will be created as the Government announces a £14.2 billion investment to build Sizewell C nuclear plant as part of the Spending Review, ending years of delay and uncertainty.
The Chancellor is set to confirm the funding at the GMB Congress later today ahead of the Government’s Spending Review, as the Energy Secretary vows a ‘golden age’ of nuclear to boost the UK’s energy security.
The Government’s investment will go towards creating 10,000 jobs, including 1,500 apprenticeships, and support thousands more jobs across the UK.
The company has already signed £330 million in contracts with local companies and will boost supply chains across the UK with 70% of contracts predicted to go to 3,500 British suppliers – supporting new jobs in construction, welding, and hospitality.
The equivalent of around six million of today’s homes will be powered with clean homegrown energy from Sizewell C. The investment in clean, homegrown power brings to an end decades of dithering and delay, with the Government backing the builders in the drive for energy security and kick-starting economic growth.
The announcement comes as the Government is set to confirm one of Europe’s first Small Modular Reactor programmes. This comes alongside record investment in R&D for fusion energy, worth over £2.5 billion over five years. Taken together with Sizewell C, this delivers the biggest nuclear building programme in a generation.
Clean, home-grown power at Sizewell C will help drive the UK’s energy security, as part of the Government’s mission to protect family finances by replacing the UK’s dependency on fossil fuel markets controlled by dictators with homegrown power that we control.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said: “Today we are once again investing in Britian’s renewal, with the biggest nuclear building programme in a generation. This landmark decision is our Plan for Change in action.
“We are creating thousands of jobs, kickstarting economic growth and putting more money people’s pockets.”
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “We will not accept the status quo of failing to invest in the future and energy insecurity for our country.
“We need new nuclear to deliver a golden age of clean energy abundance, because that is the only way to protect family finances, take back control of our energy, and tackle the climate crisis.
“This is the Government’s clean energy mission in action – investing in lower bills and good jobs for energy security.”
Sizewell C
Sizewell C will provide 10,000 people with employment at peak construction and support thousands more jobs across the UK, including 1,500 apprenticeships.
The company has already signed £330 million in contracts with local companies and will boost supply chains across the UK with 70% of contracts predicted to go to 3,500 British suppliers – supporting new jobs in construction, welding, and hospitality. Jobs in the nuclear industry pay well above national averages and the government is committed to working with nuclear trade unions such as the GMB, Unite, and Prospect, who will continue to play a pivotal role in building the industry.
Despite the UK’s strong nuclear legacy, opening the world’s first commercial nuclear power station in the 1950s, no new nuclear plant has opened in the UK since 1995, with all of the existing fleet except Sizewell B likely to be phased out by the early 2030s.
Sizewell C was one of eight sites identified in 2009 by then-Energy Secretary Ed Miliband as a potential site for new nuclear. However, the project was not fully funded in the 14 years that followed under subsequent Governments.
The Government’s nuclear programme is now the most ambitious for a generation – once small modular reactors and Sizewell C come online in the 2030s, combined with Hinkley Point C, this will deliver more new nuclear to grid than over the previous half century combined.
Small Modular Reactors
Great British Nuclear is expected to announce the outcome of its small modular reactor competition imminently, the first step towards the goal of driving down costs and unlocking private finance with a long-term ambition to bring forward one of the first SMR fleets in Europe.
The government’s nuclear resurgence will support the UK’s long-term energy security, with small modular reactors expected to power millions of homes with clean energy and help fuel power-hungry industries like AI data centres.
This follows reforms to planning rules announced by the Prime Minister in February 2025 to make it easier to build nuclear across the country – changing the rules to back the builders of this nation, and saying no to the blockers who have strangled our chances of cheaper energy, growth and jobs for far too long.
The government is also looking to provide a route for private sector-led advanced nuclear projects to be deployed in the UK, alongside investing £300m in developing the world’s first non-Russian supply of the advanced fuels needed to run them.
Companies will be able to work with the government to continue their development with potential investment from the National Wealth Fund.
Fusion Energy
The government is also making a record investment in R&D for fusion energy, investing over £2.5 billion over 5 years. This includes progressing the STEP programme (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production), the world-leading fusion plant in Nottinghamshire, creating thousands of new jobs and with the potential to unlock limitless clean power.
This builds on the UK’s global leadership to turbocharge economic growth in the Oxford-Cambridge corridor, while helping deliver the UK’s flagship programme to design and build a prototype fusion power station on the site of a former coal-fired plant.
Defence
To secure the UK as a leader in both civil and defence nuclear, the government is also making continued long-term investment in our Defence Nuclear Enterprise and its industrial base, which is critical for our national security while also being a significant generator of economic opportunities, jobs and growth across the entire country.
Further investments in the defence nuclear sector include over £6bn over the SR period to enable a transformation in the capacity, capability and productivity of the UK’s submarine industrial base, including at BAE Systems in Barrow and Rolls-Royce Submarines in Derby – to deliver the increase in the submarine production rate announced in the Strategic Defence Review.
In addition, we will embark on a multi-decade, multi-billion redevelopment of HMNB Clyde, with an initial £250m of funding over 3 years, supporting jobs, skills and growth across the West of Scotland.
The government will also invest over £420m of additional funding in Sheffield Forgemasters, securing 700 existing skilled jobs and creating over 900 new construction roles.
The Prime Minister will today [Monday 25th] declare a ‘national endeavour’ to secure the future of the UK’s thriving defence and civil nuclear industry, as he visits Barrow-in-Furness and announces a significant package of investment in skills, jobs and communities.
Domestic nuclear capability is vital to our national defence and energy security, underpinning our nuclear deterrent and securing cheaper, more reliable energy for UK consumers. The nuclear industry is growing rapidly, requiring 50% more highly skilled workers in the next ten years – and we need to train a new generation of British talent.
The Government is partnering with industry, including BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, EDF and Babcock, to invest at least £763 million by 2030 in skills, jobs and education. The investment will create more than 8,000 career opportunities to help the sector fill 40,000 new jobs by the end of the decade – and will support plans to double the number of nuclear apprentices and graduates and quadruple the number of specialist science and nuclear fission PhDs.
As the home of the UK’s Astute-class nuclear submarines – the most advanced attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy – and the new Dreadnought programme and UK AUKUS submarine production, the Cumbrian town of Barrow-in-Furness is also central to the UK’s defence nuclear ambitions.
The Prime Minister will therefore announce today the creation of a Barrow Transformation Fund, with the Government committing an immediate £20 million and a further minimum of £20 million a year over the next 10 years to make Barrow an even more attractive place to live, work, and build a nuclear career.
Building on these new investments, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps will later today publish the Government’s Defence Nuclear Enterprise Command Paper, setting out for the first time the full breadth of activity to sustain and modernise the UK’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent – a cornerstone of national and global security for more than 55 years.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Safeguarding the future of our nuclear deterrent and nuclear energy industry is a critical national endeavour.
“In a more dangerous and contested world, the UK’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent is more vital than ever. And nuclear delivers cheaper, cleaner home-grown energy for consumers.
“That’s why we are investing in Barrow, the home of UK submarines, and in the jobs and skills of the future in the thriving British nuclear industry. Today we usher in the next generation of our nuclear enterprise, which will keep us safe, keep our energy secure, and keep our bills down for good.”
The Defence Command Paper will establish the UK’s nuclear programme as a critical ‘National Endeavour’ which is vital for our long-term security and prosperity.
It is expected to set out how the UK will deliver the capabilities necessary to maintain our independent nuclear deterrent – including progressing plans to bring new Dreadnought Class submarines into service in the early 2030s, deepening cooperation with our partners under the flagship AUKUS agreement and upgrading key infrastructure – supported by an additional £3 billion in funding for our nuclear enterprise announced last year.
The UK’s ambitious defence plans are underpinned by major new investment in Barrow.
To unlock Barrow’s huge potential and support a growing workforce, the Government will commit an initial £20 million forimmediate projects, including supporting people towards work, community projects and completing construction on the A595 Grizebeck Bypass, and a minimum of £20 million a year over 10 years to improve health outcomes, build more homes, develop the transport network and support local schools.
The Barrow Transformation Fund will be managed by the Barrow Delivery Board in collaboration with local leaders, who will allocate funding to areas of greatest need.
Charles Woodburn, BAE Systems Chief Executive and member of the Nuclear Skills Executive Council said: “Barrow is at the heart of the UK’s submarine enterprise and as the custodian of our submarine design and build capability, we’re incredibly proud of the role we play in the Astute, Dreadnought and now SSN-AUKUS programmes.
“Today’s announcement reinforces the importance of continued investment in critical nuclear skills at a time of significant growth for our submarines business and our 13,500 employees.
“The long-term vision set out in the command paper is hugely welcome and will support the necessary infrastructure development and recruitment required for the delivery of these important national security programmes.”
David Lockwood, CEO Babcock International and member of the Nuclear Skills Executive Council said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the UK to deliver a stronger nuclear industry that will contribute to the resilience of the UK’s independent deterrent and will support the UK’s energy security ambitions and net zero targets. As well as providing bed-rock support for the ambitious development required across industry and government for the AUKUS programme.
“Babcock is proud of the leading role it is taking in driving forward initiatives to retain and grow the critical mass of nuclear skills we need today and tomorrow. We have a keen focus on our major nuclear sites in the South West of England and in Scotland and are determined to leverage the benefits of the NNSPS, with our customers and other industry partners, across the broader communities we serve.”
Simone Rossi, CEO EDF in the UK and member of the Nuclear Skills Executive Council said: “EDF welcomes the joint commitments announced today and looks forward to working with Government and industry to help deliver the great opportunities for people who choose to work in the nuclear sector.
“EDF has been at the heart of the UK’s nuclear energy sector for over 15 years and in 2024 is hiring a further 1,000 people into its UK nuclear family – in operations, construction, engineering support and many other exciting roles. The majority of these will be apprentices and graduates, as well as those with relevant skills from other industries.
“As we have learned in recent years there is an urgent need to attract, train and inspire the next generation of people who can design, build, operate and decommission existing and new nuclear facilities. We are excited to be part of this national endeavour.”
Steve Carlier, President at Rolls-Royce Submarines and member of the Nuclear Skills Executive Council said: “As a proud member of the Nuclear Skills Council and an important partner in the Defence Nuclear Enterprise, we welcome news that the UK is going to go even further in its mission to meet the growing demand for nuclear expertise.
“It is an exciting and fascinating time for the industry as both civil and defence organisations collaborate to ensure we all have a strong and sustainable pipeline of talent coming into the world of nuclear.
“Nuclear has the power to protect and help meet the growing demand for clean energy, so news of the UK’s commitment to this unique industry is a sign of its importance.
“From opening our Nuclear Skills Academy, which welcomes 200 apprentices every year for at least the next decade, and our recently announced site expansion work, which is creating over 1,000 new highly-skilled jobs in Derby, to new satellite offices creating almost 300 jobs in Glasgow and Cardiff, Rolls-Royce is playing a pivotal role in supporting this national endeavour.”
As part of today’s visit, the Prime Minister is expected to meet apprentices working on the Royal Navy’s cutting-edge nuclear submarines. The UK’s nuclear industry is going through an unprecedented period of growth, driven by the Government’s ambitious nuclear energy targets, and is expected to need 123,000 people by 2030.
The investment in nuclear skills – which includes £350 million from the Government and more than £400m from industry – will create some 5,000 new apprenticeships in the next four years. It will also drive private investment and create job opportunities for everyone from specialist scientists and engineers, to welders and electricians, to project managers and Royal Navy submariners.
This follows the major reforms and £60 million worth of investment outlined by the Prime Minister following the Spring Budget to enable 20,000 more apprenticeships and slash unnecessary regulatory burdens.
