Plans for new nuclear reactors in Scotland brought forward

The Herald Scotland

12 hours ago

The plans and the plant owner's stance are revealed in the first part of our new series which is launched today with our sister title the East Lothian Courier.
The GMB Scotland union has brought forward the sector estimates as it called on the Scottish Government to lift its moratorium on new nuclear.
It has called for an 'urgent review the potential of new nuclear plants to cut emissions, secure energy supplies, and boost economic growth'.
The union, one of the biggest across the energy sector, is urging ministers to lift the ban on new nuclear power in Scotland and convene an expert summit to discuss its potential to 'underpin the drive to Net Zero and create thousands of skilled, well-paid jobs and apprenticeships'.
GMB Scotland said that industry-based research shows potential for two new large-scale reactors at Torness and direct station wages would equate to £90-100 million with £30-35m additional spending on contractors.
However, the tension between Holyrood and Westminster is clear, with the UK Government pointing towards funding but adding that 'the Scottish Government continues to block any movement on this safe, green energy that would turbocharge the Scottish economy'.
The Scottish Government stood firm and signalled research showing a potential 80,000 renewables jobs in Scotland within 25 years.
EDF, the French state-owned energy giant and operator of Torness, told The Herald the site is suitable for new nuclear, but that it respects the Scottish Government stance and instead is concentrating on England.
Torness is currently a significant site. Based on EDF's 2024 financial results, it generated more than a fifth of the UK's total nuclear output and more of its nuclear earnings in this country.
It comes as the UK Government announced £14.2 billion for the creation of the Sizewell C plant south of the Border. The UK Government and EDF jointly own more than 80 per cent of the Suffolk site that will provide 10,000 jobs, including 1,500 apprenticeships.
Ed Miliband, UK energy secretary, promised a 'new golden age' of nuclear power with the announcement.
The news brought the new nuclear debate again to the fore as Torness moves towards its decommissioning.
EDF said: 'If you consider the [Torness] site, in isolation from government policy, it would be suitable for new nuclear. There is available land, good road, rail and grid connections and it has a community which is used to hosting nuclear.
'However, we respect that the Scottish Government doesn't support new nuclear just now, so EDF is focussing its nuclear development ambitions on England and expanding its renewables business in Scotland.'
The company manages eight UK nuclear power station sites and owns five of the eight designated new nuclear sites.
Paul Forrest, Torness station director. (Image: Gordon Terris) The news is revealed as we examine the impact of the planned closure site near Dunbar which has around 500 staff and around 200 full-time contractors, the surrounding community and the region's economy as it moves towards shut-down.
Paul Forrest, Torness station director, said it is 'a valuable asset to the UK' that has contributed more than £16bn to the economy since generation started in 1988.
He said: 'Torness Power Station continues to play a significant role in EDF's UK operations. It is one of five generating stations and, based on 2024's financial results, generated 21.5% of the UK's total nuclear output and contributed 22.6%to the Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) of UK's Nuclear Operations business.
'In March 2025, Torness achieved a cumulative generation total of 300 terawatt-hours since its commissioning, that is enough to power every Scottish home for 36 years and solidified its status as Scotland's most productive low-carbon asset.
'Torness is a high performing site which has met its output targets for four out of the last five years and is on plan for this year.'
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Nuclear power wins vote of confidence as life of last Scottish plant extended
He said that 'beyond that, it is a vital part of the East Lothian community', adding: 'Through construction and generation, thousands of local people have developed highly skilled, well-paid careers at the station.
'Generations of families have worked there, building their lives around the site, and the security that has brought has been a boon for the local economy.'
Additionally, the company said, three further planned refuelling outages will bring in an extra 800 workers 'who come to the site spending money in hotels, restaurants, take-aways and with taxi firms while they stay here' each time.
The 2030 decommissioning will happen in stages with the removal of spent fuel from the reactors taking about four years and will be carried out by EDF, which, at its other decommissioning facility at Hunterston B in Ayrshire, now at the defueled stage, employs around 250 moving forward to 'nuclear restoration services'.
At this point it will take around 15 years to remove all the buildings from site, with the exception of the reactor building. It will be left in situ, in a state called 'safestore', for around 70 years, until the final clearance of square-mile site.
The firm said it does not have 'visibility of figures that would allow us to make an assessment of whether renewables projects in the area will create those long-term employment opportunities on a like-for-like basis'.
However, Mr Forrest said: 'There will be a range of retraining opportunities as the station moves beyond generation and we will use the experience from other defueling sites to support staff.
'For example, at Hunterston B people have been trained to take on project management roles, which the station needs more of now. People have also been supported to gain additional qualifications in HGV driving or electrical skills which are needed on site during defueling but can also be used to build a career outside of the nuclear industry.
'Now Hunterston B is getting ready to transfer to nuclear restoration services there are further opportunities for retraining to take on jobs the station will need during decommissioning like health physicists and waste technicians. We expect to see the same kinds of opportunities at Torness when it reaches this stage.'
The new Sizewell C site in Suffolk. (Image: EDF) The latest Economic Impact of the Civil Nuclear Industry report, compiled by Oxford Economics and commissioned by the Nuclear Industry Association, shows the sector generated an extra £350m for the Scottish economy in gross value added (GVA) in 2024, up from £1.1bn in 2021, a 32 per cent rise, and much it from south of the Border.
It reported: 'Scottish workers are playing a vital role in building the new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C in Somerset and 170 Scottish firms have contracts to work on the new power station with over £280m spent with Scottish firms to date.'
Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the NIA, said: 'Scotland is benefiting from the jobs and growth coming with new nuclear plants being built in England, but with no new nuclear of its own, Scotland will lose out on billions in investment and thousands of well-paid, skilled jobs.
'Scots have always been a significant part of the nuclear industry – with renowned engineers and physicists coming through the Scottish education system, but despite the integral role nuclear plays in keeping electricity in Scotland green, without future plants young Scots will lose out on those opportunities at home.'
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It said: 'We are promoting and exploring the potential of Scotland's renewable energy resource and its ability to meet our local and national heat, transport and electricity needs, while also contributing to meeting our ambitious emission reduction targets.
'By 2030 we aim to generate the equivalent of 50% of Scotland's overall energy consumption from renewable sources, and by 2050 we aim to have decarbonised our energy system almost completely.'
It said it is backing the development of the hydrogen sector and carbon capture and storage, promoting the development of on and offshore wind, marine energy, geothermal energy, hydropower and hydrogen.
A UK Government spokesperson said: 'Investing in nuclear power represents energy security and a gateway to thousands of skilled jobs.
'It would bring millions of pounds in wages and economic growth to communities all over Scotland. The Scottish Government continues to block any movement on this safe, green energy that would turbocharge the Scottish economy. As long as they maintain that position jobs and investment that could be coming to Scotland will head elsewhere."
Gillian Martin, Scottish energy secretary, told The Herald: 'The Scottish Government is focussed on supporting growth and creating jobs by capitalising on Scotland's immense renewable energy capacity rather than expensive new nuclear energy which takes decades to build, creates toxic waste which is difficult and costly to dispose of.
'However, we recognise the significant value that Torness and its workforce has contributed to Scotland's economy and local community.
'Decommissioning Scotland's nuclear sites will take decades and will require the retention of a highly skilled workforce. Meanwhile, the significant growth in renewables, storage hydrogen, carbon capture and decommissioning are key opportunities for our future energy workforce in Scotland – with independent scenarios from Ernst and Young, showing that with the right support, Scotland's low carbon and renewable energy sector could support nearly 80,000 jobs by 2050.'