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By Damian Collins - Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Folkestone and Hythe
The Government has produced a short list of ten sites that would be suitable for new nuclear power stations, but excluded Dungeness from that list.

A new nuclear power station at Dungeness could create up to 1000 jobs and be a considerable boost to the local economy for years.

We need to understand more about this decision and what hope there is for the future of Dungeness.

It has been reported that concerns about flood risk and the local eco system have been cited against using Dungeness, but are these any different from the situation regarding the existing power station which has been in safe operation for many years.

I have stated before that I would like to see a new power station at Dungeness, subject to it satisfying environmental and safety requirements.

Also, because the Government has delayed making a decision about the future of energy generation in the UK, new build nuclear power stations have become necessary if we are to meet the demand for electricity as aging plants close down over the next 10 years.

There is already a real danger of increased levels of power cuts and the UK becoming too reliant on imported energy.

As it stands in Kent, by 2018 we will lose Dungeness which generates half our electricity and probably have to buy nuclear energy generated from French power stations just 30 or 40 miles away.