Last updated at 14:35, Thursday, 19 March 2009

A TOP Cumbrian emergency planner has slammed plans to build a £7bn nuclear power station on farm land outside Millom.

German owned company RWE npower revealed a month ago it has options to buy 185 acres at Kirksanton, near Millom and a similar site at Braystones near Egremont.

A special meeting headed by West Cumbria’s “Energy Coast” master plan partners was staged in Whitehaven Civic Hall yesterday to explain to the public what happens now for the three Cumbrian sites. The third proposed site is next to Sellafield.

David Humphreys, of Cumbria County Council, who for many years has been responsible for the county’s emergency plan should anything like a radioactive leak happen at Sellafield has criticised the proposed scheme at Kirksanton.

Of the proposal for a power station on land owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) next to Sellafield he said: “I don’t have much of a problem with that because we already have a well developed emergency plan and a well educated local population.

“What does concern me is the new reactors at Kirksanton and Braystones. What this does is it brings in an entirely new population being put at risk from these reactors.

“As an emergency planner it creates major new problems but it all sounds as if the land has been sold and the job has been done.”

But Copeland MP Jamie Reed, who is urging people to support the plans, said the three new sites could not be licensed by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate without satisfactory emergency planning measures in place.

He said: “I would have thought that would be one of the simpler matters to achieve.”

Fireman Michael Wills, 45, who said he was representing the people of Kirksanton told the meeting: “The majority of our village oppose this. The site is totally unsuitable and is less than 500 metres from the Lake District National Park.”

Villagers have written to RWE npower demanding a full scale public meeting and not next Tuesday’s drop-in consultation planned in Kirksanton.

Jenny Hawkes, from Braystones, which is two miles from Sellafield, branded the so call Energy Coast instead as Cumbria’s “toxic coast”.

Rosie Mathisen, energy opportunities director for West Lakes Renaissance. which is one of the main partners in the West Cumbrian Energy Coast partnership, said the master plan was drawn up in the face of 8,000 expected jobs losses at Sellafield by 2016. It backed nuclear because that paralleled the skills in the county and the emerging government priorities over climate change and energy security.

She said the Energy Coast, which includes wind farms, could mean a boost for the ports of Workington and Barrow.

Copeland Borough Council leader Councillor Elaine Woodburn said: “This is just the start of a very long process. Today’s sessions is for public awareness to let you know what the process is and to tell you the sites we are aware of.

“There will be a lot of consultation and communication and we need to acquire public support but at the right time.”

She said a major obstacle to the county getting new nuclear power stations is access to the national electricity grid. Cumbria’s existing system will be full up when the new Robin Rigg wind farm in the Solway starts up. The meeting revealed a proposal for a major new grid running down West Cumbria to Barrow. The grid would then go under the sea to a connection at Heysham.

She said: “Low carbon power generation is vital to our country and to West Cumbria.”

Martin Forwood of the Barrow based Cumbrians Opposed to a Nuclear Environment (Core) said the partners were proposing to swamp West Cumbria with up to three power stations instead of diversifying into other industries. Mr Forwood said it would leave the county still dominated by the nuclear industry. But Jamie Reed said: “What we want is to see is a stable thriving economy where our kids can achieve their potential.”

The Energy Coast would create a sustainable community for years to come. He knew there would be some opponents but he said: “The best way to do that is through the nuclear industry. To me that is beyond meaningful debate.”

Those behind the Energy Coast plan said it extends to 2027, is expected to create 16,000 jobs and boost the economy by £800m.

First published at 14:32, Thursday, 19 March 2009
Published by http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk