Scotland’s First Minister has been urged to establish a task force to deal with the aftermath of the threatened early closure of Longannet Power Station.
Around 1,000 jobs could be lost if the plant shuts early next year and it is feared energy supply shortages would follow.
Nicola Sturgeon has been pressed by Fife Council leader David Ross to take action now to shield the region from the impact if talks between station owner Scottish Power and National Grid fail to deliver a solution.
Longannet pays around £40 million a year to connect to the national grid due to its distance from the UK’s most densely populated areas in London and the South East.
Some 260 people work at the Kincardine plant, Scotland’s largest power station, but it is feared a further 600 jobs would be lost among suppliers and another 200 as a result of reduced spending by those affected.
Mr Ross said: “Whilst Fife Council remains fully committed to the campaign to ensure continuation of power generation at the site and a migration to a clean fuel strategy, I believe we should now start urgent discussions about the development of a contingency plan for the economic regeneration of West Fife and East Central Scotland in the case of a closure of Longannet.
“That’s why I have written to the First Minister asking the Scottish Government to join Fife Council in bringing together a task force to help protect the area as far as possible against the worst effects of a closure.”
Mr Ross said the threat to Longannet required a similar response to that given by the Scottish and UK governments when the Hall’s of Broxburn meat processing plant closed in 2013 with the loss of 1,700 jobs. The task force, he suggested, should comprise senior figures from both governments, Fife Council, Scottish Power, the Department of Work and Pensions, Scottish Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland.
Neighbouring council leaders have been asked to support the initiative.
Mr Ross has written to National Grid, Scottish Power, Ofgem and the UK government urging them to ensure the continued operation of Longannet until at least 2020. A decision was due this week but is now not expected until the end of the month.
Mr Ross said: “There is a very real threat that the site may close early in 2016.
“Early closure will prevent us developing a longer-term strategy for economic regeneration, which would have been possible if Scottish Power had been able to extend the life of Longannet until 2020, as originally intended.
“I believe it is therefore essential that a task force be brought together immediately to develop an effective response in the event of the closure of Longannet.”
That approach was endorsed by Fife Council’s south-west Fife area committee but was branded defeatist during a heated debate.
SNP councillor Douglas Chapman said: “We don’t want a task force, we want the plant to be saved. The focus needs to be on saving the plant.”
Fellow SNP member Alice McGarry said: “Longannet is not yet closed, there’s a battle to be fought. The primary action of Fife Council should be to save the plant.”
Labour councillor Mike Shirkie insisted the prime objective was saving the plant but added: “Not to have a contingency plan at this stage, the 11th hour, would be remiss.”