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9,000 jobs bonanza for nuclear site
Lancashire faces a jobs bonanza after ministers paved the way for a new nuclear power station to be built on the county's coastline.
A site adjacent to the existing pair of nuclear reactor at Heysham, near Morecambe was one of ten sites deemed suitable by ministers
for new atomic power plants.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told MPs that each new power station, to
be built by 2025, will create 9,000 jobs.
Around 8,000 jobs would be created in the construction of a new power plant at Heysham, and 1,000 in its ongoing operation.
Mr Miliband's announcement was hailed by Preston MP Mark Hendrick, who said it will also create hundreds of additional jobs at the Springfields nuclear fuels plant in Salwick, near Preston.
The publication of the long-awaited nuclear National Policy Statement
(NPS) on Monday confirmed that the new generation of nuclear plants will be fast-tracked through the planning process.
Crucially, the statement will remove the scope for campaigners to prolong public inquiries by raising questions over the safety of, or need for, nuclear power.
Energy companies are now expected to come forward and make planning applications on each of the ten sites.
The final decisions on where plants will be built will be taken by the new Infrastructure Planning Commission after national and local consultation.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Miliband said: "New nuclear is right for energy security and climate change and will be good for jobs too,
creating up to 9,000 jobs to build and operate power stations at each site and helping leading companies access the international market."
More than 1,000 people are already employed at the Heysham One and Heysham Two reactors, pumping 50m into the local economy every year.
For more on this story, don't miss your free, eight-page lepbusinessweek supplement in Tuesday's Evening Post.
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Weather for Preston
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -4 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 4 C
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