Reality checks on Master Plan claims

Reality check #1: The proposed new nuclear facility at Moorside won’t have important implications for Penrith.

written for Keep Penrith Special by a former senior executive in the nuclear industry in Sellafield.

The Claim

‘There are a number of major development opportunities that are planned to occur outside Eden that could have important implications for Penrith. In particular these include.

The proposed new nuclear facility at Moorside would employ several thousand staff at the peak of construction. Some of these people could potentially live in Penrith’.

The Reality

Beacon Development nuclear development in Cumbria — Penrith will have little to offer the nuclear industry on Cumbria’s West Coast

Sellafield is the major employer in West Cumbria, supported by a large supply chain network mostly located within 20 miles of the site. The major activity at Sellafield for the past few decades has been nuclear reprocessing and this is due to cease in 2020. The site will undergo decommissioning for a number of decades employing a major workforce which is likely to decline over the coming years.

The Moorside nuclear power plant will be located just north of the Sellafield Site, 10 miles south of Whitehaven. Construction and engineering workers would be employed over a 5-10 year period on the site and when operational around 1000 full time jobs would be created. Moorside is owned by Nugen, a UK subsidiary of Toshiba and there is currently uncertainty over the future of the project. Should the project proceed Nugen have plans developed to build temporary accommodation in the local area for all the contractors and to provide infrastructure to facilitate the transport of workers.

There are no plans to locate any construction staff more than 10 miles from the site and it is inconceivable that staff would be housed in Penrith.