The Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) welcomes the chance to respond to the Scottish Affairs Committee's ‘GB Energy and the net zero transition’ inquiry.
The NIA is the trade association and representative body for the civil nuclear industry in the UK. We represent around 280 companies operating across all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle, including the current and prospective operators of nuclear power stations, international designers, and vendors of nuclear power stations, and those engaged in decommissioning, waste management and nuclear liabilities management. Members also include nuclear equipment suppliers, engineering and construction firms, nuclear research organisations, and legal, financial and consultancy companies.
Due to the diversity of our membership, our views in this submission will cover high-level, industrywide matters. Our members may choose to make their own detailed submissions.
Executive Summary
Scotland has had the cleanest power in the United Kingdom because it has a mix of nuclear and renewables. However, the Scottish Government’s opposition to new nuclear projects is denying
workers valuable opportunities and threatening Scotland’s transition to clean energy generation.
Our own research shows that nearly half of the nuclear jobs in Scotland are in the most deprived local authority areas. The nuclear sector is providing these communities with skilled, stable, well-paying jobs. Wages at nuclear stations are often two or three times the local average, and generating stations also pay millions in business rates and drive further spending in local economies.
Scottish Government policy is hurting its transition to net zero and missing opportunities for substantial economic growth. We would urge the UK Government to consider using its reserved
powers in energy to set out plans for new nuclear in Scotland and to incorporate Scottish nuclear sites into the overall UK new nuclear programme.
Please click here to view our response.
Further Information
The NIA is happy to provide more context, or any clarifications desired on the content of our response and to ask our members where appropriate for additional information that may be useful.
Please contact Lauren Rowe, Senior Policy Analyst for the Nuclear Industry Association, at [email protected] to do this.
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