Energy Minister Michael Shanks has asked the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to explore using a site at Moorside in Cumbria, adjacent to the Sellafield nuclear waste site, for “clean energy development” in Cumbria. The site had been considered as a nuclear new-build option but the projects cancelled.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said Moorside land could be used for “a range of clean energy projects, from nuclear to solar to wind” but also highlighted “Cumbria’s strong nuclear history” and announced the initiative as it promised to invest in small nuclear reactors alongside Rolls Royce.
The Shanks said the NDA (which owns the site) and Cumberland Council could open up market discussions on privately-backed new nuclear, solar or wind.
NDA Group CEO, David Peattie, said: “Our priority will always be the delivery of our nationally important mission, to safely and securely decommission the UK’s earliest nuclear sites.
“We have unique expertise, resources and assets and we are committed to exploring how we can best utilise these to support wider energy security ambitions and low carbon energy generation.
“That includes looking to identify land not required for our mission, which could be freed up for other uses to deliver benefits to the local community and wider economy.”
Josh MacAlister, MP for Whitehaven and Workington, said: “Unlocking this land gives us our best chance at new nuclear since the collapse of NuGen. …
“I will do everything in my power, working with national government and local partners, to secure West Cumbria’s nuclear future”.