The sparsely populated region of Caithness in northern Scotland once relied heavily on the development of nuclear energy for electric power and for job creation. Now wind and wave energy are set to take over the leading role. Dounreay nuclear power plant was built here in 1955. While protesters warned of the possible risks, a lot of local people were grateful for thousands of new jobs and the investment that came with the project.
Now the whole region is about to enter a new era. The Dounreay NPP is to be completely decommissioned by 2023. More than 2,000 jobs will be lost. The decision to decommission Dounreay was made back in 1994. The highly qualified work force has prospects to stay in the region thanks to new wind farms and wave power plants being built.
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