Following the Government announcement that coal fuelled power stations will be phased out by 2025, I have called for an urgent meeting with The Rt Hon Amber Rudd MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change to discuss the implications for Rugeley Power Station. The economic security of Rugeley is one of my key focuses and I will do all it takes to protect jobs in the constituency. The deadline for the end of coal in electricity production set by government is a decade away. I believe this gives more than enough time for the options for Rugeley Power Station to be fully explored and I do believe that this announcement could be good news for Rugeley in the long-term.
I will be asking the Government and the operators of Rugeley Power Station to consider a number of options for the power station. Previously the operators carried out a large public consultation on conversion to bio-mass. However in 2013 GDF SUEZ decided not to proceed with the conversion. At the time conversion to bio-mass was seen as a popular proposal locally and cited as a way to secure a long-term future for the power station. While GDF SUEZ did not make clear their reasoning for remaining a coal power station widely known, perhaps now is the time to reconsider this option. Converting to bio-mass would secure the station’s future for a long-time to come.
I will also ask if converting to natural gas is a possibility. The government is looking to shift our reliance on coal to other fuels such as natural gas, so I think looking at the feasibility for Rugeley to become a gas powered station is worth exploring. While I am not an industry expert surely conversion is cheaper that building a new power station from scratch elsewhere in the country.
Should these two options not be possible the site makes an ideal candidate for an enterprise zone. An enterprise zone would see the site receive support and special conditions that would enable rapid redevelopment and job creation. I am confident an enterprise zone would create substantially more jobs than the site currently supports. I will be writing to the Treasury and Local Enterprise Partnerships asking them to come up with proposals as a backup plan, should the station not be converted to biomass or natural gas. While keeping the station would be my preferred choice, an enterprise zone would definitely be a great opportunity for Rugeley, should the station need to close in ten years' time.
However I do not believe this will be the end of Rugeley Power Station and we are ten years away from the time limit imposed by the government for the end of coal generated electricity. This gives us more than enough time to safeguard jobs and the long-term economy of Rugeley.
I welcome anyone concerned about these proposals to get in touch with me and I will keep local residents updated with any information I receive. Rugeley Power Station is an iconic local building and close to the hearts of many local people. I will be standing alongside the people of Rugeley in the years to come.