Mike MacDonald, Prospect negotiations officer, said: 

“The premature closure of Cottam power station will be a huge blow to workers and to the economies of Worksop and Retford. We had been led to believe the power station would be wound down by 2025 which would have given plenty of time to mitigate the £60m which will be lost from the local economy as a result. That lead time is now gone and we need reassurances from the company and from the government that they will do all they can to minimise the impact of this closure.

“Prospect has been working hard with employers, including EdF, to secure a just transition to low carbon generation ever since the government indicated that it would wind down coal fired generation by 2025. We continue to work closely with Edf and the other unions to mitigate the loss of work and we will take every steps to support our members and their families at this distressing time. Proper planning for a just transition could have avoided this and helped us to retain these skills in the UK economy.

“When the capacity market was suspended last year Prospect warned that it had the potential to put jobs at risk; the loss of 300 jobs at Cottam, both direct staff and  contractors, proves the point. BEIS reassuring the sector that they will resolve the issue soon is little comfort to those losing their jobs, or to the wider supply chain.

“The government must not let its current paralysis in the face of Brexit stop it from setting out a clear strategy to deal with the country’s urgent need for new capacity. Energy is essential to the UK’s economy and the loss of generation without any plan for its replacement is not in the public interest."