Missed chance

There are a number of reasons for my view and none of them are political.

Untried technology, a record of late delivery and over budget, very expensive energy for decades, security aspects due to the involvement of the Chinese.

That is just the headlines.

I have not delved into the use of UK-based companies.

It is unlikely.

The main contractor will be French and at every turn it will attempt to use cheaper labour in an attempt to repatriate as much money as possible and avoid any tax liability to HMRC.

It will also not deliver the energy we need now.

We have a very low level of excess capacity and this is not going to be addressed any time soon.

Our energy mix is putting our whole economy at risk at a time of growth returning to Britain.

Successive governments have been remiss in their provision of more energy capacity, having cast our coal and gas stations on the scrap heap to appease the green lobby without regard to the ever increasing needs of the population and industry.

Government has been paying insufficient attention to the rapidly developing technologies to breach the shortfalls, like small modular reactors which are much quicker to build and cheaper to construct.

Another chance missed that will cost us all dearly.

Chris Gallacher, TD VR,

Chairman,

UKIP Redcar,

Normanby Road,

Middlesbrough.