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PLANS to turn West Cumbria into Britain’s Energy Coast
PLANS to turn West Cumbria into Britain’s Energy Coast have been unveiled by Business Secretary John Hutton at The Sellafield Centre today.
Mr Hutton, who is also the MP for Barrow, was joined by Copeland and Workington MPs Jamie Reed and Tony Cunningham for the launch.
The ambitious new plans would see £2 billion of investment in the region and create up to 16,000 new jobs, with the National Nuclear Laboratory – to be based at Sellafield – central to the scheme.
Other developments will include the new Nuclear Skills Academy at Lillyhall, the Sellafield sponsored West Lakes Academy in Egremont and a new acute hospital for West Cumbria.
The prospect of new nuclear reactors and reprocessing are also high on the agenda of the Energy Coast team.
Mr Hutton said; “The UK, like other communities around the world, is getting into a nuclear renaissance and given that West Cumbria is the home of the UK nuclear industry, we’ve got a tremendously exciting future ahead of us.
“The government will be doing all it possibly can to ensure the country as a whole, and local people, enjoy the economic dividends of the switch to nuclear, which is going to happen.”
Barry Snelson, Managing Director of Sellafield Ltd, added: “The skills base at Sellafield is key to Britain’s energy future.
“The Energy Coast programme is an ambitious attempt to secure long term prosperity for West Cumbria. It will do so by building on the area’s established nuclear expertise and combining that expertise with other innovative projects.
“Whilst decisions on issues such as new build or further reprocessing are for Government and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, there’s no doubt that we have the skills and the assets here to play a key role in the UK’s energy generation for many years to come.
“In doing so, we can help fight climate change, secure the UK’s energy supply and continue to support our local communities in their development.”
