PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
Nuclear energy policy (21 July 2021)

That this House urges the Government to review its nuclear policy; notes that Dungeness Power Station stopped generating in June 2021, seven years early due to safety concerns; that Hunterston B will stop generating in 2021, Hinkley B in 2022, Hartlepool and Heysham Power Stations in 2024, that Torness and Heysham 2 will close before their 2030 target; further notes that Hinkley Point C being constructed has suffered cost and programme overruns with the predicted commissioning date of unit one revised to June 2026 with an additional programme risk of a further 15 months, meaning unit one might not generate until 2027 and unit two in 2028, years after the majority of the existing fleet is offline, proving that the need for nuclear baseload generation is an outdated concept; notes that the Hinkley £92.50per MWh strike rate over a 35 year contract period compares badly to the offshore wind strike rate of £40MWh for a 15 year contract; further notes that under the existing grid charging regime, EDF will be paid money to connect to the grid, while Scottish renewable energy projects pay the highest grid connection charges in Europe; draws attention to the report by Good Energy and Energy Catapult Systems that shows net zero can be reached without new nuclear projects; notes that the reliance on China General Nuclear is a mistake; and calls on the Government to scrap its intention to build new nuclear power stations and avoid adding to the nuclear waste legacy estimated to cost £132 billion.

Sponsored by:
Alan Brown (Scottish National Party)