COPELAND MP Trudy Harrison has welcomed the announcement that Rolls Royce SMR has secured funding to develop small nuclear reactors – and will continue to lobby for Copeland to be the location of this new development.

Rolls Royce SMR announced today that it will invest £195 million of private funding across three years in the project, with a further £210 million pledged from the Government, as announced by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng in support of the “largest engineering collaboration the UK has ever seen”.

Mrs Harrison said: “SMRs will deliver clean, low-carbon, affordable energy and will play a significant role in our net zero ambitions.

“Ever since I was elected in 2017, I have campaigned strongly to have SMRs located in Copeland, and following today’s significant announcement, I will continue to take the case forward with colleagues in Government, industry and the local authorities.

“Our community knows more about nuclear power than anywhere else in Europe, and we have a deep talent pool with a track record of safety and deliverability, and Copeland should be at the forefront of this new and exciting development.”