THE UK energy minister has said he “won’t apologise” for the UK Government using funding initially intended for clean energy to invest in nuclear power.
Scottish Labour MP Michael Shanks insisted that nuclear was part of the UK’s “energy mix” and claimed the SNP’s “ideological opposition” to nuclear is costing Scotland jobs.
It comes after we told how in last week’s spending review Chancellor Rachel Reeves effectively cut £2.5 billion of funding for GB Energy.
Reeves said the state-owned clean energy company would now share the overall £8.3bn funding with a separate body looking to invest in nuclear energy.
The Treasury said the £2.5bn would go towards a new generation of small modular nuclear reactors.
On BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show, Shanks was challenged on the fact that billions intended for renewables will now be invested in nuclear power. Journalist Martin Geissler pointed out there was no mention of nuclear anywhere in the Labour party's manifesto ahead of the 2024 general election, but it instead focussed on clean power projects such as onshore wind, solar, and hydro power.
“Well, it's not an exclusive list, because there's a lot of other clean energy technologies,” Shanks said.
“Nuclear is part of our energy mix.
“I'm not going to make any apologies for the government investing in nuclear where thousands of highly skilled jobs can be delivered, including in Scotland if it wasn't for the ideological position of the SNP to block new nuclear, could be delivering those well paid skilled jobs here in Scotland.
He added: “The broader point here is Great British Energy is all about harnessing the power of the public purse to invest not just in clean power projects directly but supply chains that drive them.
“Because unlike the previous government, we want to see those well paid, industrialised jobs coming alongside us, not towing in offshore wind and switching it on, but building it in this country and getting the manufacturing jobs that go with it. That's how we deliver the jobs of the future.”
Geissler put it to Shanks that oil and gas companies are leaving Aberdeen and that the just transition should be a “safety net” for workers, but that currently there is “no net” for workers.
Asked if that was a fair assessment, Shanks said: “Well, look, every single job loss is hugely distressing for the individuals and for their families and communities.
“I don't for a second discount the impact that job losses have, but I don't think that is an entirely fair assessment, because yes, there's been job losses recently announced, but there's also been thousands of jobs created.”
He added: “We shouldn’t just look at one side of the equation here.
“A transition means there will be jobs moving from one part of the industry into the other.
“We need to make sure that that happens, but we also need to support the workers to get those jobs, and that's why we announced incredibly quickly that passporting support, where if you're an offshore oil and gas worker doing a particular job and you could do the same job in offshore wind, you shouldn't have to re qualify and have your skills reassessed. You should be able to move straight into that job. That's something the previous government developed for a long time. We delivered it.”
We told how GB energy chair, Jürgen Maier, who will be based in Manchester, poured cold water over another Labour pledge of creating 1000 jobs for Aberdeen – saying it might take 20 years.
