Following stories of a planned demonstration targeted at the Severn Power development, the developers (Severn Power) and main construction contractor (Siemens) have today (6 September 2009) issued the following statement:

“We have sympathy with local people affected by unemployment but we do not feel it is appropriate to target this site with a protest as both the developer Severn Power and the lead contractor, Siemens, have gone to considerable lengths to attract local suppliers and to encourage local job applications.

Following a recent meeting with the local MP Jessica Morden, we are organising a forum for jobseekers to meet Severn Power and Siemens, and will be launching a new web portal for employment opportunities on the project shortly.   

We have a dialogue with the unions, and would welcome a constructive dialogue with representatives of any local unemployed people.”

Key facts:

1. Siemens are building a high-tech 850MW gas-fired power station, Severn Power, which is providing high quality local employment and will continue to bring value to the local economy for the next 20-30 years. We must hire the best contractors and permanent staff for the job and we must act fairly and with due regard to all the applicable UK and European employment and trade laws.
   
   
2. Severn Power is being built adjacent to Uskmouth Power, a 360MW coal-fired power station that has been operating since the 1960s.  Uskmouth Power is owned by Scottish and Southern Energy, and is entirely separate from Severn Power.
   
   
3. 83% of employees that are currently safety inducted to work on or regularly visit the Uskmouth site are British or Irish. We have inducted in total more than 1,700 people who can work or who regularly visit site.
   
   
4. Currently we employ 500 people at the Severn Power site.  More than 50% of the workers engaged in engineering roles are British/Irish.
   
   
5. Siemens has been in contact with the Newport job centre and received approximately 1,000 applications which have been passed on to our employment businesses for their interrogation and use. It is not possible to say how many of those were successful.
   
   
6. Siemens has three employment businesses at the Severn Power site whose aim is to facilitate recruitment with due focus on local applications when there is a requirement to supplement the core workforce of the nominated contractor. This is in addition to the direct sub contract awards that have been made to local companies by the nominated contractors.
   There are no current vacancies at the site but when that situation changes we will continue to work with these employment agencies and the local job centre to ensure opportunities are accessible to local workers. For example to date 14 out of the 20 vacancies within the Operation and Maintenance area of the Power Station have been offered to and taken up by local people.
   
   
7. Siemens is managing the design, engineering, construction, commissioning, testing and management of the new 850MW combined cycle gas turbine plant at Severn Power. The station due to start commercial operation in 2010 following a 30 month construction period and four months of commissioning.
   http://www.siemens.co.uk/en/news_press/index/news_archive/1april08.htm
   
   
8. Siemens is a global company that employs more than 18,000 people in the UK

ends