A campaign to secure the future of a huge power station is being stepped up with a plea to MPs to help save hundreds of jobs.
Unions have warned that the coal-fired Eggborough plant in North Yorkshire could close, with the loss of 800 jobs and potentially thousands more in the supply chain, blaming the Government’s energy policy.
Eggborough has been working on a biomass conversion project which was due to start last month, but it was excluded from subsidies to convert from coal to cleaner biomass.
In the letter to local MPs, Eggborough workers said: “We at Eggborough are very proud to have ’kept the lights on’ for the last 40 years and we wish to continue to help meet the needs of the UK and avert capacity crunch and blackout fears. Please look into this matter and let us know if there is anything you can do to help.”
Unite national officer Kevin Coyne said: “Writing-off Eggborough power station would be an act of industrial vandalism that puts Britain’s energy security at risk and will lead to thousands of lost jobs.
“The coalition’s energy policy is flawed. Coal fired power stations are closing and there are not enough replacements, yet energy secretary Ed Davey seems content to lose 4% of the UK’s energy capacity in one fell swoop. It is no wonder Britain is heading for an energy crisis. We sincerely hope he rethinks this bizarre decision.”
Gary Smith, national officer of the GMB, said: “UK coal stations are becoming uneconomic because of the treasury cash cow – the carbon tax.
“Stations like Eggborough try to do the right thing moving to renewables and they get a kick in the teeth in return.”
Mike Macdonald, of the Prospect union, said: “Placing Eggborough out of the frame for the conversion to biomass production is not helping anyone – neither the dedicated staff employed at the site nor the public.
“The Eggborough conversion plan would place the plant in a position to play a key role in keeping the lights on while helping the country meet its carbon reduction targets.
“We urge the government to rethink the conversion proposals for the good of the plant, the staff employed there and in the supply chain, and for the good of the bill-paying public.
A Department for Energy and Climate Change spokesman said: “Business decisions are ultimately a matter for Eggborough’s owners.
“There has been a high level of interest in investment contracts for renewable electricity generation but we have always been clear that the budget would be limited.
“Final decisions on which projects will receive Government support under this process will be made this spring.
“The lights are not going out. We are taking prudent steps to ensure that any risks to security of supply are minimised.”
