Sellafield, Cumbria: New nuclear sites unveiled:

Sellafield in Cumbria amongst others will go forward for further consideration as candidates to become new nuclear plants:

Sellafield in Cumbria, Bradwell in Essex, Oldbury in Gloucestershire and Wylfa in Anglesey will all go forward for further consideration as candidates to become new nuclear plants.

Gordon Brown revealed that up to 9,000 jobs could be created to build each of the power stations, as well as another 1,000 once the plants were up and running.

The new sites are necessary because the UK's existing power stations are due for decommissioning over the next 20 years.

Nuclear accounts for around a fifth of the country's energy needs, and the Government is committed to building a new generation of plants by 2025 as long as the private sector supplies financing.

More potential sites are due to be unveiled soon, with the Government and nuclear industry known to favour putting new reactors on the sites of old or existing plants such as Sellafield, home to the UK's nuclear reprocessing and decommissioning facilities.

An existing nuclear plant at Bradwell closed earlier this year while Oldbury's plant is also due to close by 2010.

Each site will now go through a rigorous selection process during which the impact on the local community, economy and the environment will be assessed.

After that, planning permission will need to be obtained, with construction unlikely to begin for at least another six years.

During a visit to Sellafield, the Prime Minister said that nuclear was the green option for Britain's energy needs.

He went on: "Nuclear is crucial to our low carbon future. It is crucial to our energy security and at the same time it represents a massive opportunity for the UK economy.

"Today's announcement is great news for Sellafield and good news for British nuclear industries.

"Sellafield has got a great history and at the same time it's also got a great future.''

Jamie Reed, Labour MP for Copeland, said that siting the new power station at Sellafield would be "momentous" for the local community, bringing an estimated £2 billion to the region.

He added: "Like every part of the country, the economic squeeze is apparent to everybody here.

"This would provide more jobs for local people, and it will provide better opportunities for training local people. It ticks what I call the three Es: energy, economy and environment.''

Derek Simpson, joint leader of the trade union Unite, who accompanied Mr Brown on the visit, said: ``Pushing ahead with Britain's nuclear new build addresses the real concerns of real-life people.

"Nuclear energy can reduce our reliance on foreign gas and oil, and start to reduce household bills by 2015."

By Rosa Prince, The Telegraph Political Correspondent
Last Updated: 9:00AM GMT 24 Jan 2009