CND campaigners accuse North Ayrshire Council of giving 'one-sided' case to Ardeer nuclear fusion plans

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Campaigners have accused North Ayrshire Council of making a 'one-sided presentation' regarding plans to build a prototype nuclear fusion plant in Ardeer.The local authority is one of three partner organisations, alongside the University of Glasgow and NPL Group, who are seeking to bring the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production plant to the area.But the Ayrshire Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament this week hit out at what they claim is 'a lack of transparency' surrounding the proposal.The group say they have been surprised at the absence of an accessible way to ask questions and express concerns.They claim the council set up a one-click process to state their support but made no provision for people to list concerns.And the group say that many locals had no idea that there was a proposal for a nuclear fusion reactor on their doorstep until they heard opposition to it.Ayrshire CND spokesman Arthur West said: "After years of worry about cracks in the nuclear reactors at Hunterston, it is very disappointing that North Ayrshire Council are supporting the development of another nuclear facility at Ardeer.""‘The respected Nuclear Free Local Authorities organisation which includes Scottish Councils such as Glasgow , Edinburgh , Dundee and East Ayrshire are opposed to nuclear fusion, labelling it a distraction from the need to continue developing renewable energy sources."North Ayrshire Council this week defended their stance, pointing out that the consultation process is being handled by the UK Atomic Energy Authority.A spokesperson said: “We believe that Ardeer offers a unique location, can support our commitment to tackle the climate emergency by providing low carbon energy, create thousands of high-quality jobs and act as an