Keir Starmer has urged the SNP/Green Government to back new nuclear plants in Scotland.
The Labour leader, buoyed by polls showing his party leading the Tories at a UK level, called on Ministers to “seize” the opportunity of new energy jobs.
Nuclear is central to the UK Government’s strategy of reducing the country’s reliance on hostile powers like Russia for oil and gas.
However, none of the eight reactors will be based in Scotland after Nicola Sturgeon ’s administration expressed outright opposition.
Her Energy Secretary Michael Matheson warned new nuclear would be risky and expensive, adding that the SNP/ Green Government had “no intention” of taking any new developments forward.
Speaking ahead of a visit to Glasgow on Tuesday, Starmer said: “Both the SNP and the Tories need to get their act together when comes to dealing with the energy crisis.
“We need real investment in green and renewables jobs, not more broken promises.
“But we also need to seize the opportunities for investment and energy security that come with nuclear energy.
“Neither of Scotland’s governments have a plan to cut bills, deliver energy independence, or tackle the climate crisis. Labour would deliver a green energy sprint, while the SNP and Tories dither and delay.”
Scotland has one nuclear power station - the Torness plant in East Lothian - after Hunterston B in North Ayrshire closed in January.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “Bills are going up, petrol prices are up, and neither the SNP or the Tories are serious about the action that need to be taken to bring bills down long term.
“Scottish Labour have a plan that could give people over £1000 in support to deal with the short term crisis.
“But we need answers that focus on bringing bills down long term, as well as meeting our commitments to cut our reliance on fossil fuels and make our energy supply more secure in an unstable world.
“To do that nuclear, and the highly paid and skilled jobs it brings, must be part of Scotland’s energy mix.
“But Scotland now risks paying the price in lost jobs and opportunities for the SNP ’s unscientific and economically backward opposition to nuclear energy.”
The Scottish Government believes the focus should be on boosting the amount of energy from renewable sources.
Starmer’s trip to Scotland comes on the eve of crunch local council elections.
Polls show Labour is on the verge of taking back second place from the Tories - but the SNP are still on course for a comfortable victory.
Scottish Tory MSP Liam Kerr said: “As long as they continue to oppose further North Sea oil and gas production, Labour have no credibility on energy security, energy jobs and rising energy costs.
“Everyone who understands the sector knows nuclear power and renewables are an essential part of our energy mix but are not enough to meet demand. We need oil and gas, nuclear and renewables to all play a part in a fair and managed transition to net zero.
“Like the SNP-Green Government, Labour have turned their back on up to 100,000 oil and gas jobs and adopted a stance that would increase our reliance on costly foreign energy imports.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are aware of the Ardeer project’s involvement in the UKAEA’s STEP competition process and are engaging with its partners to understand more about the proposals.
“We believe that significant growth in renewables, storage, hydrogen and carbon capture provides the best pathway to net zero by 2045, and will deliver the decarbonisation we need to see across industry, heat and transport.
“The transition to net zero will offer many new opportunities for highly skilled, well paid jobs across the energy sector for industry experts, apprentices and graduates. Scotland has long been the centre of expertise in energy innovation and this expertise will prove crucial as we work to capture the opportunities the transition to a net zero economy presents.
“We recognise that planning will be crucial to ensure that economic and social opportunities from the transition are not missed. Our National Just Transition Planning framework sets out the consistent, ambitious approach we will take to developing transition plans. We have committed to delivering our first Just Transition Plan as part of the forthcoming refreshed Scottish Energy Strategy, and will work in partnership with businesses, workers and communities to ensure this provides the certainty needed for investment in our net zero journey.”
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