THERE are renewed calls for the Government to step in and support Cumbria's new nuclear build, amid fresh concerns over its future.

Moorside, to be built near Sellafield, is one of the biggest developments ever planned for the county, and is set to bring in thousands of jobs and provide a major boost to the county’s economy.

It has been dealt a series of blows in recent weeks, after its main investor Toshiba - which owns a 60 per cent stake in Nugen - revealed major financial difficulties.

In a fresh blow this week, Nugen has confirmed it is "reviewing its options" - prompting concerns that the entire project could be mothballed.

Toshiba's difficulties emerged after its American subsidiary, Westinghouse, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. As a result, the other shareholder - French firm ENGIE - has used legal agreements to sell its stake to Toshiba.

The Japanese company reported a 532bn yen (£3.8bn) loss for the period of April to December last year and said it had "substantial doubt" about its ability to continue as a going concern.

A NuGen spokesman said: “NuGen is undertaking a strategic review of its options following shareholder and vendor challenges.

"NuGen is confident that the review will lead them to an outcome that provides a more robust, stable and sustainable platform to meet its commitment to deliver the next generation of nuclear baseload for the UK."

He added that NuGen remains a "key player" in the nuclear industry and that Moorside remained a "key infrastructure project" for the UK.

Sue Hayman, who was MP for Workington and is standing as the Labour candidate, said: "They (NuGen) need to bring in some other investment, that is going to be absolutely crucial for the project to move forward.

"What I would be calling on is for the Government to back that investment and support NuGen because it is critical for our future prosperity in west Cumbria."

John Stevenson, the former Carlisle MP and current Conservative candidate, added: "I still maintain that at an appropriate moment in time it would be a good idea if the Government were to take a stake.

"I don't think it should be the state building and running it, but there is no reason why we shouldn't have the Government supporting the investment."

He said he thought other Japanese companies with an interest in the nuclear industry - such as Hitachi or Mitsubishi - might be interested in becoming involved with Moorside.

Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) has expressed an interest in buying into NuGen and representatives from the firm have met Business Secretary Greg Clark.

It is thought though that the Korean firm would want to use its own reactor design for the project - as opposed to the Westinghouse AP1000, three of which have been earmarked for Moorside - which could put the project back by several years.