One of Scotland’s two nuclear power plants has shut down, ending its nearly 46 years of generating electricity.
Environmentalists say the eventual closure of Hunterston B, near West Kilbride, which started generating electricity 45 years and 11 months ago, is “inevitable”.
Longbanks, WWF Scotland director, said the plant was becoming increasingly unreliable and argued that the growth of renewable energy meant nuclear power was no longer needed.
Technology
Mr Banks said the “repeated failure to resolve the hundreds of cracks in the graphite bricks around the reactor core meant the closure of Hunterston B was inevitable”.
He added: “Thankfully, Scotland has significantly increased its renewable power generation capacity, which means we will no longer need the power provided by this increasingly unreliable nuclear power plant.
“As the costly and dangerous work of cleaning up Hunterston’s radioactive legacy now begins, Scotland must move forward with plans to harness cleaner, renewable energy.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Hunterston B, its operators and especially the staff who have worked for the plant for over 40 years, play an important role in supporting Scotland’s energy needs.
“However, we remain unequivocally opposed to building new nuclear power plants in Scotland based on existing technology.
transition
“Significant growth in renewable energy, storage, hydrogen and carbon capture offers the best path to net-zero emissions by 2045 and will achieve the decarbonisation we need to see in industry, heat and transport.
They added: “We recognise that planning is critical to ensuring that the economic and social opportunities that transition brings are not missed.
“Our National Just Transition Planning Framework sets out the coherent and ambitious approach we will take to develop our transition plan.
“As part of our soon to be updated Scottish Energy Strategy, we are committed to delivering our first just transition plan and will work with business, workers and the community to ensure this provides the certainty we need to invest in our net zero journey .
“As part of the Ayrshire Growth Agreement co-funded by the Scottish and UK governments, the regional partners are developing a business case for the Hunterston Strategic Development Area to support the long-term strategic plan for the Ayrshire region, its people and businesses.”
Drain the oil
Bosses at Hunterston B in North Ayrshire say it has produced enough energy to power every home in Scotland for almost 31 years since it first came online.
Station manager Paul Forrest said the contribution of the plant “cannot be underestimated”.
The plant was originally planned to generate electricity for 25 years, but Mr Forrest said the investment in the plant – operated by EDF Energy – meant an extended lifespan.
“We don’t just turn off the power station, close the gates and walk away. The fueling and decommissioning of the site takes time, and we will continue to need technicians to do that.”
EDF said every employee who had said they wanted to continue working at Hunterston B had been offered a role to help drain the oil – some chose to move to other EDF sites, while others decided to retire. Construction of Hunterston B cost £143 million, with construction on the plant beginning 55 years ago in 1967.
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Katrine Bussey is PA Scotland’s political editor.This article has been edited by staff ecologist.
