PRIME Minister Theresa May has dismissed the uncertainty around the £15 billion Moorside nuclear power station development as a “commercial issue”.

In an interview with ITV Border at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, Mrs May repeatedly said the future of the project was between the companies involved in the ownership of NuGen, the developer behind the economy-boosting project.

Mrs May said the Government was “monitoring” the situation and repeatedly confirmed its support for the nuclear sector.

The future of Moorside is hanging in the balance as current owners Toshiba look to offload NuGen to a new investor by the end of the financial year. Korean state-owned utility Kepco and Canadian-headquartered asset management company Brookfield are in the frame to take ownership of the company.

Mrs May said: “The issue of Moorside is a matter for commercial discussion between the companies involved. We’ve been monitoring this very closely. We are looking to see the opportunity to provide help where that is possible from Government. We have been talking to those involved.

“We want to see nuclear power as part of our energy sector in the future. Obviously, we’ve seen other nuclear projects going ahead. But the issue with Moorside, if course, is a debate – a commercial debate – between companies.”

Mrs May was asked what she had personally done to get Moorside back on track after pledging her support for the nuclear industry while campaigning for Trudy Harrison for the Copeland seat.

“Nuclear does matter to us,” she said.