Leading Hartlepool figures urge government to back bid to build new nuclear reactor here

Conservative Jill Mortimer has written to Andrew Bowie, minister for nuclear and renewables, urging the government to “take the necessary steps to enable Hartlepool to be a priority site” for a new nuclear reactor.

The letter has been signed by key figures such as Hartlepool Borough Council leader councillor Mike Young and managing director Denise McGuckin, and Darren Hankey, principal at Hartlepool College of Further Education.

It has support from the likes of Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, Tees Valley Combined Authority chief executive Julie Gilhespie and leaders from key stakeholders in the industry such as NOF and Nuclear Institute North East.

The jointly signed letter calls for “for both a national programme of nuclear new build and for the siting of new reactors at Hartlepool”.

It urges the government to “recognise the strong alignment between advanced modular reactor (AMR) technology and the Teesside area” and to take steps to bring “a project of this nature” to Hartlepool.

The town currently produces nuclear energy at the two-reactor EDF power station in Brenda Road although this is anticipated to reach the end of its lifespan in 2026.

The letter concludes “commercial scale AMR technology is the ideal fit for the site at Hartlepool given the profile of industrial energy demand, supportive local community and ready-made workforce”.

Nuclear reactor fuel design company X-energy has already proposed to develop a multi-billion pound plant using its small modular reactors next to Hartlepool’s existing nuclear power station.