Trudy has hosted the launch of a new company formed to bring new nuclear power to the constituency.
Solway Community Power Company Ltd has been created to bring Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) to land adjacent to the Sellafield site.
Trudy hosted the launch of the company – which is chaired by Paul Foster and will have its base in Copeland – in front of almost 100 delegates at Westlakes Science and Technology Park.
The launch heard that the site, technology and need for the SMR development have been identified, and the company has been formed as a vehicle to secure the project.
Trudy said: “This is an exciting day for Copeland, and the announcement of this vehicle to bring Rolls-Royce SMR to our area is a highly significant milestone. Nuclear is a clean, proven and reliable source of energy, and new nuclear power stations need to be on the bars with some urgency.
“I have always maintained that there is no better site in the UK – perhaps in the world – for Rolls-Royce SMR to locate their reactors than on land adjacent to Sellafield. We have the site, skills, experience and supply chain ready-made.
“Now the job of the new development company is to ensure this happens – to continue the legacy of world-class skills and opportunity in our area – and with Paul Foster at the helm, I have absolute confidence that this will be achieved.”
Each Rolls-Royce SMR will be factory built and capable of generating 470MW of electricity from a sustainable source, each - generating enough clean energy to power a million homes for 60 years.
Paul Foster, Chair of Solway Community Power Company Ltd, said: "Nuclear is a core part of our identity and heritage in West Cumbria, and we have a huge opportunity now to create new opportunities through the deployment of the Rolls Royce SMR.
“It’s not only about the jobs and supply chains needed to build and run it, it’s also about the new investments and industry sectors we could attract to the region, with an energy surplus to offer.
“The critical pieces already exist, such as land that could be suitable, interest from investors, and of course the modular solution from Rolls Royce SMR. Our job at Solway is to pull it all together - and we’ll be working closely with our community, who have an enduring stake in both its development and its decades of operation.”
Tom Samson, Rolls-Royce SMR Chief Executive, said: “We have prioritised a number of locations across England and Wales, including land close to the Sellafield Site, with the potential to deploy the first in a fleet of Rolls-Royce SMR power stations.
“By utilising land owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) in West Cumbria and partnering with Solway, we put ourselves in the strongest possible position to bring new nuclear on stream as close to 2030 as possible.
“The formation of a UK nuclear developer, committed to bringing new nuclear to West Cumbria, is excellent news and I’m delighted they have chosen to deploy Rolls-Royce SMRs - the UK’s sovereign nuclear technology.”
Further information on Solway Community Power Company Ltd can be found at www.solwaycpc.com
