Discussions to potentially instal new nuclear technology on Romney Marsh have begun.

It comes eight months after the announcement that the Dungeness B power plant will move into the defueling stage, seven years earlier than expected.

Although it will take many years for the site to be shut down completely, it will eventually lead to the loss of jobs.

Neighbouring site Dungeness A was decommissioned in 2006.

MP for the Marsh, Damian Collins has previously championed the idea of installing Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) on the land.

He says, due to the existing grid connections, they would suit a location such as the Marsh.

Unlike a traditional power station, SMRs, which are powered by nuclear energy to generate electricity, are constructed off-site in a factory and assembled at their location.

During a parliamentary debate on the development of SMRs Mr Collins once again promoted Dungeness as a good location for the technology.

He has also asked for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which owns Dungeness A, to start 'negotiations' about the future of the site.

Mr Collins said: "Given the excellent infrastructure and industry experience at Dungeness and across the Romney Marsh area, I promoted the location as an ideal site for SMRs.

"These are being developed by Rolls-Royce and I asked the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to give direction to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority so that they can begin to enter negotiations about the future of the sites under their management. Sites, for example, like Dungeness A.

"The Energy Minister, Greg Hands MP, agreed to meet with me to discuss this and I hope that progress can be made in the coming months."

Mr Collins met with Mr Hands last week.

EDF, which runs Dungeness B, revealed last July that it would move the power station into the defuelling phase with immediate effect following a range of technical challenges at the plant.

It had already been offline since 2018.

The defueling stage involves removing the fuel from the two reactors. This process has taken place many times before, but usually they are replaced with more fuel. This time it will not be replaced.

It could take 10 years before the station is declared fuel free.

It will then move to the decommissioning stage, and then the deconstruction stage.

More than 700 people currently work at the station, and the majority of these jobs are secure for now, says EFD.

While EDF has no plans to develop the site in the future, it says it is open to discussions about others leading new opportunities.

An EDF spokesman said: “We welcome discussions around potential future development opportunities for the area we own on the Dungeness Estate.

"As custodian of land around the site, EDF is happy to engage with any project looking to develop the site in support of the UK’s net zero ambitions.

"At the same time, we remain focussed on delivering the exciting and vital projects at Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C, as our part of efforts to help Britain towards net zero."

Dungeness A power station ceased generation at the end of 2006 after 40 years of supplying electricity to the national grid.

Defueling of both reactors was completed in September 2012. The site is now being decommissioned.

The NDA, which is now responsible for Dungeness A, has been approached for a comment.