MP Katy Clark is calling on EDF Energy to withdraw their application for the transfer of nuclear waste to Hunterston, and re-apply for a lesser scale of road movements.

EDF have applied to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) to vary their licence for disposing of nuclear waste at their Hunterston B Power Station. Ms Clark has previously written to SEPA to voice her concerns about this application. Concerns have been raised about the lack of specificity in relation to both where waste would be transported from and how often it would be transported on local roads. The Labour politician has recently met with EDF’s station directors and raised these concerns with them. After the meeting, the local MP has written again to the station directors requesting that they withdraw their current application to SEPA and submit a fresh application which is more detailed in relation to exactly what waste will be transported and how and when.

She said: “The terms of their current request are vaguely drafted, meaning that nuclear waste could potentially be brought in to Hunterston from anywhere else in the UK and is completely silent on what sort of impact this would have on the number of HGVs on local roads, an issue I know many local residents along the A78 have complaints about already. “I have written to the station director of Hunterston B urging EDF to withdraw their current application and instead submit a new one with much clearer terms. I have suggested that, firstly, they ask SEPA only for transfers of waste from Torness Power Station and this will be stored on a temporary basis.

“Secondly, I have requested that any onward transmission to a reprocessing centre is carried out on only one occasion. This should address concerns about waste being brought in from all over the UK and severely restrict the volume of HGVs on local roads. I appreciate that there will still be concerns from local residents about this issue and would urge them to get in contact with me if they would like to discuss this further.” A spokeswoman for EDF Energy said: “ "The aim of the application to SEPA is to reduce and minimise the storage of waste at both Scottish EDF Energy sites and to comply with the UK regulatory framework.

"We are requesting to vary our certificates of authorisation for the disposal of radioactive waste for Hunterston B and Torness nuclear power stations.

"The variation we are requesting is as follows: - the storage of low level wastes (LLW - e.g. industrial clothing, waste paper , cardboard) on a temporary basis pending the arrival of similar wastes from other EDF Energy sites (most likely Torness and vice versa) to make up a full consignment before it is transferred to a disposal facility. - small quantities of intermediate level waste ( ILW) to be transferred to operators of authorised specialist facilities where it can be processed into low level waste and subsequently disposed of. This does not include a request to transfer ILW between Hunterston B and Torness nuclear power station sites as this is not allowed.This ONLY concerns ILW which can be processed into LLW .

"We have taken into account concerns from local residents and can reassure them that this move would likely only mean one lorry load a year. Further to this we have spoken to hauliers to ensure they address local community sensitivities."

SEPA is considering responses to the consultation which closed at the end of October and have yet to make a decision on the request."