Torness nuclear power plant 'needs long-term green transition plan to protect 700 jobs'

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Torness nuclear power station needs a long-term “green transition plan” to protect its 700 workers, it’s been claimed. It comes as Torness, near Dunbar in East Lothian, Scotland’s only remaining nuclear power station, last week had its lifespan extended by two years to 2030 by owners EDF.

Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie called for the plant’s long-term future to be planned out now to avoid the fate of sites like Grangemouth oil refinery which is set to close next year. Torness' extension was hailed by the UK Labour government which backs nuclear power as a key part of its goal to decarbonise the energy grid by the end of the decade.

However, nuclear energy has long been opposed by the SNP government at Holyrood with an effective ban on new power stations. Both the Nationalists and the Scottish Greens say the fuel is expensive to produce and unsafe and insist Scotland’s abundant renewable resources should be prioritised instead of nuclear.

Torness employs about 550 people with a further 180 contractors also working full-time on site. It was originally due to be decommissioned last year but has seen its lifetime extended several times now by French state-owned firm EDF Energy.

Harvie told the Record that proposals for a post-nuclear future for Torness could include high-voltage direct current transmission or building connections for offshore wind. The MSP said: “With the life of Torness being extended by two years, there is an onus on the Scottish and UK governments to use that time to work together with trade unions, EDF and the local community to ensure there are jobs for the workers to go to afterwards.

“As Scotland moves away from nuclear, we need to be working to build a genuinely greener future. That means investing in infrastructure and the community… there must be a focus on retraining and re-skilling to ensure that jobs remain in the community.”

He added: “Scotland has resources that any country would envy and the ability to create abundant cheap renewable energy. We must pull out all the stops to reach that potential and ensure that workers in sites like Torness and Grangemouth are at the forefront of future plans.”

It follows floundering efforts to form a credible transition plan at INEOS’ troubled Grangemouth plant for more than 400 at-risk workers - with the refinery set to shut in the spring. Shona McIntosh, Green councillor for East Lothian, added: “We cannot put off the development of a transition plan for workers at Torness by pinning false hope on a long-term nuclear plan for the site.

“East Lothian is in a prime position to benefit from genuinely clean renewable energy, and staff at Torness already have a fantastic set of transferable skills.”

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An EDF spokesperson said: “Torness is Scotland’s most productive clean energy asset so the recent extension to 2030 is great news for clean power targets, energy security and sustaining jobs. Elsewhere in the UK nuclear is seen as part of the ‘just transition’, providing a destination for workers moving from fossil to low-carbon energy sources.

“Policy differences mean this is not the case in Scotland so we will look to work with government and industry partners to ensure workers are supported as the site moves towards end of generation - though it should be remembered that well-paid, highly skilled jobs will still be available at Torness through decommissioning.”

Speaking in Holyrood last week, First Minister John Swinney welcomed the lifetime extension of Torness in terms of providing “stability” for energy supplies.

But he added: "There is, of course, a transition we have all got to make to lower-cost energy products and prices. I think that is best secured through investment in renewable energy."

A spokesman for the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero said: “We welcome EDF’s decision to extend Torness nuclear power station to 2030, which will provide an important steady supply of homegrown clean energy - vital in boosting our energy independence and delivering our 2030 mission. We will ensure that there is a fair and balanced transition, working with industry, experts and trade unions to support British workers and provide the skills necessary for the clean energy jobs of the future.”

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