The Government must do more to make sure the £15 billion Moorside nuclear power station goes ahead, county MPs said.

NuGen, the firm behind the West Cumbrian plans, announced yesterday that it was undergoing a restructure.

It said the prolonged time it had taken to seal the deal with Korean utility Kepco meant it needed to undertake a strategic review to determine how best to proceed with Moorside, set to built on land next to Sellafield.

Around 100 staff and contractor jobs, including that of chief executive Tom Samson, are at risk under the restructuring plans.

NuGen’s staff are based between its offices in Manchester and Whitehaven and its contractors work across the country.

Trudy Harrison, Copeland MP, and Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock, said it was time for the Government to show its commitment to nuclear new build.

Mrs Harrison said: “The Government must take a proactive stance. Nuclear new build is not commercially viable without Government support.

"There is a demonstrable need for electricity – the five new build nuclear sites on the table will provide 18 gigawatts of power, which will just satisfy the anticipated need for electric cars.

"It is now time for Government to get a grip on our energy policy. In Cumbria we have the skills and experience.”

Mrs Harrison said that she no longer wanted to hear about the UK just being a test bed for overseas companies to exploit the nuclear new build’s £1.2 trillion global economy.

She added: “Our regulatory set up is world class, but it should be working for the UK’s benefit.”

Mrs Harrison said she was setting up a Moorside strategic partnership, with representatives from Sellafield, Cumbria LEP and councils.

Mrs Harrison and Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock met with energy minister Richard Harrington last week.

Mr Woodcock said: "It was clear at that meeting that the deal was running into trouble. This is the announcement we feared we would get.

“The Government must not allow the lights to go out in West Cumbria and has to stand by the development of new civil nuclear build in West Cumbria.

“It will be utterly disastrous to allow the prospect of nuclear new build to go by the wayside.

"It means the Government must show its commitment to the Cumbrian economy.

"Moorside is important to the Furness economy too as several hundred people work at Sellafield. Thousands more will work as Moorside comes on stream."

Talks are understood to be at an advanced stage between NuGen’s current owners Toshiba and Kepco, the preferred bidder, over the ownership of the company.

The talks also include the UK Government – which recently suggested it would consider giving financial support for a new generation of nuclear power stations to meet the UK’s energy needs – and the Korean government, which owns a majority stake in Kepco.

A NuGen spokesman said: "The NuGen team will take the opportunity to examine how it will best proceed with its continuing mission to deliver affordable and reliable low-carbon electricity for the UK."