Blyth power station plan is withdrawn; GOVERNMENT REVEAL NEW NUCLEAR POWER SITES.

Byline: TOM MULLEN

PLANS for a pounds 2bn cleancoal power station were shelved as the Government announced the site for a new nuclear power plant in the North East.

Energy company RWE npower announced it is withdrawing its bid to develop the 200-job plant on the site of the former Blyth Power Station in the village of Cambois.

The company, who unveiled the proposal almost three years ago, said it will not be making a formal planning application to build the 2,400 megawatt plant, which would be capable of powering 3.5m homes.

It plans to retain the Cambois site for a potential future power station development, but claims the time is not right for such a massive investment.

The announcement came as a huge expansion of nuclear power was signaled by the government, which named 10 sites, including one at Hartlepool and three in Cumbria, where new power stations could be built.

Three other potential candidates, including Druridge Bay in Northumberland, were excluded due to what were described as "serious impediments".

One new power plant is proposed for Hartlepool, where the existing nuclear facility is near the end of its lifespan.

In Cumbria, plants would be sited at Sellafield, with another in nearby Braystones and the third at Kirksanton, near Millom in the south west of the county.

Environmental campaigners strongly opposed the Cambois power station project.

Dave Carlton, the company's project manager, said it continued "to see the site as an important one, both for RWE npower and in terms of the UK's future power generation".

And he added: "The existing infrastructure on site makes it ideal for power generation.

"We will continue to discuss any plans we have for the area with local people and the relevant local authorities."

Opponents argue that no new coal-fired plants, including the one at Cambois, should be built until carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology has been properly developed.

Malcolm Reid of Hexham, coordinator of People Against New Coal Stations, said the group had anticipated the RWE npower announcement.

He said: "We would now like to see Northumberland County Council redesignate the Cambois site for green, clean technology, to match what is happening at the New and Renewable Energy Centre in Blyth.

"It is a perfect area for a factory for offshore wind turbines and housing development. If Cambois is re-designated then the prospect of the area being regenerated rises colossally." Dr Adam Marshall, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce said: "British business is clear that nuclear power will be a crucial part of a more sustainable future energy mix.

"A faster, more streamlined planning process is also required to safeguard the UK's energy supply in the decades to come."