Nuclear is a huge opportunity for Gloucestershire – the government needs to grasp it, writes Ian Mean

Ian Mean, Business West Gloucestershire director & vice chair GFirstLEP, says the government should acquire the South Gloucestershire and Stroud College land at Berkeley Green to secure Gloucestershire's nuclear future.

Our county has nuclear skills ingrained in its DNA with an exceptional heritage of the skills the industry needs.

That’s why I applaud Stroud’s MP, Siobhan Baillie asking Andrew Bowie MP, the Under Secretary for Nuclear and Networks, where great British Nuclear stands on the future of our two decommissioned nuclear sites at Berkeley and nearby Oldbury.

Siobhan was a leading advocate of the STEP fusion project-Severn Edge-connecting the land on both sites.

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That Severn Edge bid was lost. But I believe that Great British Nuclear - the government’s umbrella organisation taking forward nuclear energy - are still keen on the two sites for siting and developing the new SMRs.

And I think the recent announcement by South Gloucestershire and Stroud College on the sale of their Gloucestershire Science and Technology Park at Berkeley Green would give the government the ideal opportunity to purchase the land as part of an exciting SMR project with Oldbury.

In a letter to the government minister, Andrew Bowie, Siobhan Baillie says: “I would like to bring to your attention that the Berkeley site at Severn Edge - which offers prime R&D, and laboratory space, an integral link to the high performing nuclear engineering and cyber college plus adjacent land with potential to develop-has recently been placed on the open market.

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“This now mirrors Horizon-Hitachi’s long-held position at Oldbury to release their land to a nuclear developer thereby creating a long-lasting nuclear legacy for the area and in line with the UK’s ambition to have 24GWe of nuclear power by 2050”.

I agree with Siobhan. Berkeley and Oldbury have got everything going for them with the two Severn Edge sites as a great base for the mini nuclear plants and all the laboratory research facilities they will need.

I would, therefore, urge the government to make an offer for the SGS land at Berkeley Green as the first possible move to a huge step forward for the Gloucestershire economy with New Nuclear.