New MP for Folkestone and Hythe, Damian Collins, has wasted no time in calling for the previous decision on Dungeness to be brought back to the table to be discussed.

Shepway District Council and Kent County Council had also called for a rethink of the decision, made in November last year, not to go ahead with Dungeness C. A new power plant at Dungeness would create employment for around 400 staff and dozens of support staff. Dungeness, which has an exemplary safety record, currently has one active and one decommissioned power plant.

Mr Collins has written to new Energy Secretary Chris Huhne asking for a meeting to discuss a new plant at Dungeness and says “Some people have raised concerns over flooding risk, but that was not raised by the government last year,”

“The Environment Agency believes that risk can be contained, so it is simply down to how you mitigate the loss of some of the vegetated shingle around the power station.”

Green MEP Keith Taylor said his party was opposed to any development of nuclear power saying “We don’t think it is part of the energy solution we all desperately need”

The government approved 10 other sites for new nuclear power plants in England and Wales last year.

“One of the advantages of the Dungeness site is that the experts believe it can be brought online before 2020, which would be quite early compared to some of the other sites,” said Mr Collins.

“It is also the only site south east of London in an area of critical energy need.”

Tags: council, damian collins, Dungeness, Employment, Energy, folkestone, MP

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