Cumbria needs "significant additional investment" to secure the right infrastructure to support the construction of three new nuclear reactors.
That's according to Council Leader Stewart Young, who says the county needs more money to help it achieve the Government’s plans for nuclear power.
At a meeting this afternoon, its Cabinet agreed that the sheer scale of the nuclear project is "unprecedented for the UK as well as Cumbria”.
The council says the area will need extensive investment in things like roads and railways, accommodation for the workforce, and the development of skills to ensure that as many jobs as possible are taken by local people.
The council says that given the current public sector financial climate, that investment will need to come from NuGen, the Government or both.
Commenting further, Cllr Young said: “The council is working very closely with NuGen, the NDA and Copeland Borough Council on this exciting project, which will deliver the power for the Northern Powerhouse.
"Together with the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership the council recognises the vital role that the nuclear industry has in the Cumbrian and national economy. This multi-billion pound project is one of the linchpins of a decade of new investment in Cumbria that, at over £20 billion, will be on a par with HS2 and more than twice the level of investment London saw for the 2012 Olympics.
"In order to be deliverable, we need the right infrastructure in place to sustain the influx of materials and people necessary for a project this size. The lead-in time for this scale of development is years not months, with complex planning processes, and at the moment NuGen don’t plan to make their funding decision until 2018 before commencing build work in 2020. We cannot wait until then for investment to start flowing if we are to deliver the improvements we need in our roads, rail, port, accommodation and skills.
"Finally we must ensure that all of this investment results in a lasting legacy of economic benefits for the local community. This has to be right for Cumbria today, tomorrow and for generations to come.”