PROFESSOR Jack Ponton (Letters, April 9) points out that the security of Scottish electricity supplies depends on the existence of two nuclear power stations.
One of these, Hunterston B, is located in my council area.
Hunterston B will cease generation in 2022/3, after which the renewable-based electricity supply will be very insecure indeed unless more reliable base-load electricity generation is created in the meantime.
The council has a policy of supporting new nuclear build and electricity generation at Hunterston. However, the minority SNP group on the council does not back the policy and the SNP at Holyrood has taken the decision in its new National Planning Framework (NPF3) to remove national planning status, and therefore any possibility of new nuclear electricity generation, from the Hunterston peninsula.
We are therefore left with the situation that the need for new electricity generation is clear, the site exists and has been in use constantly and safely for 60 years, the necessary skills exist (for the time being), the jobs are desperately needed and the local council supports new nuclear generation. However, because of the opposition of the SNP at Holyrood and in North Ayrshire Council, the most obviously sensible solution to the problem is ruled out for purely ideological and dogmatic reasons and North Ayrshire no longer has any sites of national economic development status.
For an area with some the highest unemployment in the UK this is a disaster and, for the security of Scotland's electricity supply, it is an avoidable risk and an obvious foolishness.
Alex Gallagher,
Labour councillor, North Ayrshire Council, 12 Phillips Avenue,
Largs.
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