Last updated at 14:23, Thursday, 04 February 2010

COPELAND MP Jamie Reed is seeking urgent talks with an energy company over its plans for an electricity generation site near Millom.

RWE npower wrote to residents of Millom and the surrounding area yesterday, saying the farmland in Kirksanton will formally be disconnected from the national grid.

The company says the move is to cut costs involved.

Mr Reed is now urging the international company to meet him to clarify their position over the site, which has been bought for the purpose of possibly building one of Britain's new-build nuclear power stations.

Involved in the buying of the site was taking out a costly agreement with the national grid – even though electricity would not be generated at the site for many years.

Mr Reed is concerned at the move to pull away from the national grid agreement, and wants the firm to explain its intentions, so that local people will have a clear idea what will happen at the site. He said: “I am seeking an urgent meeting with RWE to urge them to clarify their position, once and for all. It isn’t fair on residents, the public and other local businesses to be expected to live with the question of ‘will they-won’t they’ for the next 10 or 15 years.

“If they have genuine intentions, then south Copeland needs to be able to make the necessary preparations. If not, then the community needs to move on.

“Increasingly, the Kirksanton and Braystones sites appear to be red herrings; we need to focus our efforts and resources into ensuring that new build begins at Sellafield in approximately 2015.”

He added: “I don’t believe that either Kirksanton or Braystones will ever be developed. Time, economics and local public opinion is against it.

“My principal focus is now in ensuring that the new reactors on the land adjacent to Sellafield are developed.”

The Millom community has been split by the proposals which could see a nuclear plant up and running yards from villagers’ doorsteps by 2025.

The plans have been backed by Millom Town Council in light of economic benefits such as jobs and improved roads.

But the proposals have been opposed by Millom Without Parish Council, which represents the town’s outlying rural areas.

Leader of Millom Without Parish Council, Wilson Huck, said the decision to disconnect the site from the national grid shows doubt from the international company on whether to proceed.

Cllr Huck said: “It looks to me as if there is some possible doubt and as if they don’t want to proceed.

“But it is guess work at this stage. The more we look into it the less likely it seems they are going to meet all of the government requirements at Kirksanton.

“There are so many problems and the government requirements are quite strict.”

A Kirksanton action group was set up by villagers to block the plans.

Group spokesman Michael Wills said: “I’m unsure what this really means. We don’t know anything because RWE don’t give us any information.

“I would urge people not to start celebrating and take this for what it is.”

A spokeswoman for RWE npower said: “At the moment it’s not possible to commit to specific plans.

“This is true for most of the sites being considered for new nuclear build across the country.

“In the meantime though, maintaining our current grid connections could mean large, and rising, extra costs and it’s only sensible to avoid this risk and renegotiate connection agreements once we are in a position to confirm our plans.

“We can’t promise any significant announcements in the near future but we certainly intend to have further meetings and discussions in the coming months to understand local opinion and be as clear as we can about where we stand.

“Should we go ahead with a planning application, we’d first carry out an exhaustive process of detailed studies and full, and repeated, consultation with everyone involved or affected by a development.

“We recognise Jamie Reed’s point of view, but we believe it’s important that Cumbria has a number of new nuclear development options and it would be premature to rule out any possible nuclear power station now.

“Of course we’re more than happy to discuss our position further with him.”

First published at 13:00, Thursday, 04 February 2010
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk