NUCLEAR energy must be part of the UK’s energy system in the future, two of Scotland’s leading entrepreneurs believe.

Sir Tom Hunter, speaking on yesterday’s Go Radio Business Show with Hunter & Haughey, suggested the UK explores the model in France where 70 per cent of that country’s electricity is derived from nuclear energy due to a longstanding policy based on energy security.

The entrepreneur was discussing the UK Government’s plans that could see up to 95% of the UK’s electricity come from low-carbon sources by 2030.

Its British Energy Security Strategy, unveiled a few days ago, outlines how the country will accelerate the deployment of wind, new nuclear, solar and hydrogen, while supporting the production of domestic oil and gas in the near term.

“Nuclear needs to part of the mix,” Sir Tom agreed when asked by host Donald Martin, the editor The Herald and The Herald on Sunday, if nuclear should form the backbone of the UK’s energy system. “France took its decision to be energy secure some time ago and maybe that was the right decision. Energy now isn’t just a case of ‘can we the lights on’ – it’s about national security as we know with Russia and Ukraine.

“The numbers today are that the UK is providing about 16% of its energy from nuclear but the challenge is that about half of that is going to be retired by 2025. In Scotland, Hunterston has now closed and the only remaining nuclear plant is Torness in East Lothian and it is going to close a couple of years early in 2028.”

Lord Willie Haughey, asked by Mr Martin if the Scottish Government was taking a “sensible green approach” by shutting down nuclear plants and not supporting new oil and gas fields, said: “Nuclear certainly shouldn’t be the backbone of our energy system but I agree with Tom that there needs to be a mix.

“It would be fantastic if we could get all the energy we require from solar and wind but that is going to take decades and its going to cost billions in infrastructure spend. So where is the money going to come from? What we need is grown-ups in a room to come up with a policy that works.”

Asked if onshore wind turbines were an “eyesore or an opportunity” following comments by UK Transport Secretary that they fall into the eyesore category, Lord Willie suggested that all major energy infrastructure was “ugly” while Sir Tom paid tribute to the Scottish Government for “taking the lead” on onshore wind.

He said: “What I’d like to see now is more entrepreneurs and business people getting into the supply chain so that we can create the green jobs in that supply chain. Perhaps we make some of the technology here in Scotland so it is not going abroad with all we pick up is a rental for the land.

“The SNP Government have put their wind turbine in the ground and made a stake – and I think that is to be applauded.”

With firms under pressure to create “green” jobs linked to the ScotWind seabed leasing agreement, Mr Martin pointed to figures from the Office for National Statistics showing that just 20,000 of the 130,000 green jobs promised by former first minister Alex Salmond’s SNP Government by 2020, as Scotland became the “Saudi Arabia of renewables”, had come to fruition.

Asked if those 20,000 jobs should be applauded, Sir Tom said: “Let’s remember that governments don’t create jobs – business people and entrepreneurs create jobs. The Government should be creating the environment then letting businesses and entrepreneurs compete on a level playing field. Then we will create jobs.”

Lord Haughey’s view was that “we have learned to be wary of the numbers that politicians throw out there”, adding: “In my view there were never going to be 130,000 jobs in the timescale that Alex Salmond said there would.”