Concerns have been raised over future investment in the Moorside nuclear power station scheme after French company Engie backed out of the project.

The energy firm was part of the NuGen consortium, a joint venture involving Toshiba, which owns the Westinghouse Electric Company which is due to supply the three AP1000 reactors for the £10 billion Moorside site in Cumbria.

However, Westinghouse has recently filed for bankruptcy in the US, triggering an exit clause in Engie's contract with the NuGen consortium.

Engie's exit has now increased worries that the nuclear power scheme near Sellafield will not go ahead.

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Unite national officer for energy, Kevin Coyne, said the union will write to Business Secretary Greg Clark to clarify the UK's energy policy position.

"Unite will be writing to business secretary Greg Clark as a matter of urgency asking for clarity on the UK's energy policy, with particular reference to Moorside and the need for substantial public investment to ensure that the plant proceeds on schedule," he said.

"The latest developments at Moorside, which is due to supply seven per cent of the UK's electricity needs from 2025, does not inspire confidence. We appear to be lurching from confusion to potential chaos – and this is a cause for serious concern.

"We are also worried about the future of Springfields nuclear fuel manufacturing facility, near Preston, operated by Westinghouse, which has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US.

"Moorside is expected to generate 20,000 highly skilled jobs during its construction and when it is up-and-running – and will be a major economic accelerator for the north west. We need to nurture and protect these skilled jobs, if the Northern Powerhouse is to become a reality in the next decade."

(LM/JP)