A major trade union has urged politicians in Scotland to reconsider the country’s ban on nuclear power plants, saying new reactors at the existing Hunterston site would result in a £1bn (€1.2bn, $1.2bn) economic boom for the area of North Ayrshire.

GMB Scotland, a general trade union, has warned that ministers’ opposition to new reactors in Scotland not only risks net zero targets but a massive economic windfall.

The nuclear industry already supports almost 3,700 jobs in Scotland, adding £400m to the economy, including at Hunterston, about 50 km west of Glasgow, where four reactors have been permanently shut down.