Nuclear demand for Ayrshire as Labour leader joins Scottish election campaign
Anas Sarwar urges UK Government to back plans for Ardeer power station
Scottish Labour's calling on the UK Government to support plans for a new nuclear energy station in North Ayrshire ahead of a local election campaign visit by the UK party leader, Sir Keir Starmer.
Scottish leader Anas Sawar's telling Clyde 1 the party believes nuclear must form part of the UK's energy mix to provide a long-term solution for rising bills and the cost of living crisis.
In a letter to Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, Mr Sarwar urged him to support proposals for the Spherical Tokamak For Energy Production (Step) project proposed for Ardeer, saying its importance can "not be overstated"
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Prices are expected to rise following an increase to the energy cap and pressure caused to global gas costs due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The last operational reactor at the Hunterston B nuclear power station, near West Kilbride, was taken offline in January.
Keir Starmer visit
Ahead of a campaign visit with the Scottish Labour leader in Glasgow for the local council elections, Sir Keir said: "Both the SNP and the Tories need to get their act together when it comes to dealing with the energy crisis.
"We need real investment in green and renewables jobs, not more broken promises.
"But we also need to seize the opportunities for investment and energy security that come with nuclear energy.
"Neither of Scotland's governments have a plan to cut bills, deliver energy independence, or tackle the climate crisis. Labour would deliver a green energy sprint, while the SNP and Tories dither and delay."
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Long-term energy answers
Mr Sarwar added: "Bills are going up, petrol prices are up, and neither the SNP or the Tories are serious about the action that need to be taken to bring bills down long term.
"Scottish Labour have a plan that could give people over £1,000 in support to deal with the short-term crisis.
"But we need answers that focus on bringing bills down long term, as well as meeting our commitments to cut our reliance on fossil fuels and make our energy supply more secure in an unstable world.
"To do that, nuclear - and the highly paid and skilled jobs it brings - must be part of Scotland's energy mix.
"But Scotland now risks paying the price in lost jobs and opportunities for the SNP's unscientific and economically backward opposition to nuclear energy."
Approval and development of the site in Ardeer, Mr Sarwar said in his letter to the Energy Secretary, would help to reverse "the long-term impacts of industrial decline, selecting the Ardeer site would signal a crucial commitment by the UK Government to the importance of developing Scotland's economic potential as we transition to net zero".
Scottish Tory energy spokesman Liam Kerr said Labour had "no credibility" on energy matters as long as it continued to support an end to North Sea oil and gas extraction.