Never-before used nuclear fusion is the future of energy, says Lincolnshire's Reform council leader
Lincolnshire County Council leader Sean Matthews is also against plans to build solar farms and electricity pylons
Lincolnshire County Council's leader has criticised wind and solar power, saying instead that nuclear fusion would be the "future" of energy in the county and beyond.
Sean Matthews (Reform UK) said the theoretical form of energy would create economic prosperity for the county.
Matthews said: "It is all about trickle-down economics. It is about getting out there and getting people good jobs with big companies that are well paid and then we all benefit from a better economy within Lincolnshire.”
His words follow the announcement of plans to build a prototype fusion powerplant on the River Trent in Gainsborough, on the current site of West Burton power station.
STEP Fusion, which put forward the plans at a Greater Lincolnshire Combined County meeting, plans to finish building the plant by 2040.
STEP Fusion's website reads: "Are you ready for the step-change? Fusion energy will be the next great breakthrough for humankind."
The UK government announced £2.5 billion of funding in June to support nuclear fusion research - even though fusion has never yet been used to generate power.
Matthews prefers fusion to other 'green' methods, saying: "Both wind and solar factories just cover great arable land that should be used for growing food."
The council leader also claimed that wind and solar energy produce electricity that Lincolnshire "doesn't really need", despite the fact that nuclear fusion, if successful, would also produce electricity.
Matthews claimed: "In Lincolnshire at the moment we're fairly neutral - we're producing as much as we're using. Any excess which is created from the solar farms and wind turbines will be sent down to London, where the electricity's needed."
The Reform UK councillor was also keen to dispel any fears residents could have about the plans, drawing a distinction between the hypothetical nuclear fusion, and nuclear fission, the type of reaction currently used in nuclear power plants, and therefore in nuclear accidents.
Matthews claimed fusion "is much, much safer" - even though it hasn't been achieved yet.