Cessation of Power Generation at Chapelcross - The World's Oldest Operational Nuclear Power Station

That the Parliament notes with regret the formal announcement that the Chapelcross Power Station, the longest-serving nuclear power station in the world, has ceased power generation, having provided a safe and reliable supply of electricity to the south of Scotland since 1959; believes that the engineering and scientific accomplishments of designing, building and operating Chapelcross and Calder Hall in Cumbria were the 20th century equivalent of the Forth Rail Bridge or the invention of the steam engine and congratulates the management and workforce on their skill and dedication in operating successfully the Calder Hall and Chapelcross power stations for a combined total of more than 90 years; further notes the fudge and delay inherent in Her Majesty’s Government’s energy policy; expresses concern at the prospects of a looming “energy gap” in the United Kingdom that cannot realistically be filled by renewable sources, and believes that the success of Chapelcross would be best recognised by the early commissioning of a replacement nuclear power facility on the same site.