https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/new-sizewell-c-nuclear-power-station-poses-threat-to-rare-birds-says-national-trust-97vpn059f

A new nuclear power station planned for the Suffolk coast would threaten rare wildlife on protected heathland, according to the National Trust.

It has condemned EDF’s application, expected to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate tomorrow, to build twin reactors at Sizewell in a project that the French state-controlled company says would supply enough low carbon electricity for six million homes, or 7 per cent of UK power.

The trust owns Dunwich Heath, 140 acres of lowland heathland that is one of Britain’s rarest habitats and is home to a breeding population of endangered stone curlews.

It has written to the leaders of East Suffolk council and Suffolk county council to raise concerns about the proposed £18 billion plant, which EDF would build with theChinese nuclear power company China General Nuclear (CGN).

Nick Collinson, the trust’s general manager for the Suffolk and Essex Coast, wrote: “The National Trust is deeply concerned about the current proposals for Sizewell C and the impact they could have on the wildlife, views and visitor experience of Dunwich Heath, and this irreplaceable stretch of the Suffolk coast.”

Mr Collinson expressed concern that EDF was going ahead with the application during the coronavirus lockdown, when organisations that wanted to respond and raise specific concerns had limited capacity to do so.

He added: “We are concerned that EDF has failed to provide important information on key topic areas. The absence of information has prevented the National Trust, and other stakeholders, from being able to fully consider both the short and long-term impacts of the proposal on our property and the experience that we can offer our visitors and members.

“It has also hindered us in being able to give meaningful consideration to any appropriate monitoring, mitigation or compensation.”

The trust’s concerns include the impact of dust and traffic from the construction of the power station and the visual blight caused by pylons and power lines. It also fears that the development could displace recreational activity from Sizewell to Dunwich Heath, which is about 3km (less than two miles) north of the proposed power station site.

Stop Sizewell C, a local campaign group, said the power stations “would be an expensive bridge to nowhere: it will suck vital funds away from the technologies and projects that are more capable of truly transforming our energy landscape”.

Last month a group of celebrities with homes in the area or links to it, including the actors Bill Nighy and David Morrissey and the painter Maggi Hambling, called on the government to step in to delay consideration of the proposal until the coronavirus restrictions were lifted.

Mr Nighy, who used to live in Theberton with his former partner, the actress Diana Quick, said: “It is beyond belief that EDF is pressing forward during these terrible and uncertain times with a project so misguided, and which even the government’s own advisers find deeply concerning.

“If Sizewell C is allowed to go ahead we will be left with an outdated form of energy that will not fit to any degree in our new world, and this internationally famous environment will be desecrated. This is a time to protect our ecosystems, not shatter them.”

The new station would be next to Sizewell B, Britain’s most modern nuclear power station, which opened in 1995.

EDF and CGN are building the £22 billion Hinkley Point C in Somerset, the first new nuclear power station for a generation. It has been repeatedly delayed.

EDF has proposed an alternative funding model for Sizewell C under which consumers would share the risk of cost overruns and delays by paying for the project while it was still under construction. EDF said the alternative funding model could make nuclear power comparable in cost to offshore wind.

A full public examination of the application is expected in the autumn.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-52813171 27 May 2020

An application has been submitted to build a new nuclear power station capable of powering six million homes.

EDF Energy has put in plans for the Sizewell C plant on the Suffolk coast, first proposed more than a decade ago.

Alison Downes, of Stop Sizewell C, said the project would “suck vital funds” away from other technologies.

Managing director of the Sizewell C project, Humphrey Cadoux-Hudson, said it would “kick-start the economy following the coronavirus crisis”.

He said the 3.2GW plant would generate enough “always-on” low-carbon electricity to power six million homes, creating 25,000 jobs and 1,000 apprenticeships during construction.
EDF Energy added the scheme would reduce the need for imported energy.

‘Bridge to nowhere’

The application for a development consent order to the Planning Inspectorate was delayed for two months amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Sizewell C would be a near replica of the under-construction Hinkley Point C in Somerset, reducing construction costs and risks, according to EDF.

But Mrs Downes said: “Sizewell C would be an expensive bridge to nowhere: it will suck vital funds away from the technologies and projects that are more capable of truly transforming our energy landscape.”

She said while coronavirus lockdown restrictions continued there could not be “full public participation in the planning process – even the Planning Inspectorate does not yet know how it could work”.

EDF Energy said extra measures would be put in place to make it easier for the proposals to be scrutinised once they were published.
Mr Cadoux-Hudson said: “Sizewell C is a net-zero infrastructure project ready to kick-start the economy following the coronavirus crisis.

“The project will play a key role in lowering emissions while helping the UK keep control of its low carbon future.”

The planning process is likely to take 18 months to complete with the government making the final decision.

Sizewell was highlighted by the government as being suitable for a future nuclear power station in 2010, when it selected eight sites around England and Wales from a longer list of potential locations.

There have been two power stations at Sizewell already – Sizewell A, which opened in the 1960s and shut in 2006, and Sizewell B, which opened in the 1990s and is still in operation.

https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2020-05-27/application-for-new-sizewell-c-nuclear-power-plant-in-suffolk-has-been-submitted/

Energy giant EDF has submitted an application to build a new nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast.

The planned 3.2 gigawatt Sizewell C nuclear plant would generate enough “always-on” low-carbon electricity to power six million homes and create 25,000 jobs and 1,000 apprenticeships during construction, EDF said.

It will also provide 900 skilled jobs over its operating lifetime and support UK energy resilience by reducing the need for imports, the company said.

The application for a development consent order to the Planning Inspectorate was delayed for two months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

EDF said extra measures will be put in place to make it easier for local communities to scrutinise the proposals once they are published.

Sizewell C will be a near replica of Hinkley Point C in Somerset, reducing construction costs and risks, according to EDF, which has partnered with China General Nuclear to build reactors in the UK.
Hinkley Point C is under construction with a contract to receive a guaranteed price for its power, of #92.50 per megawatt of electricity it generates, which will drop to #89.50/MWh if Sizewell C goes ahead.

But with the price of other power sources such as offshore wind falling to much lower levels, an alternative funding model for nuclear schemes could be used which it is hoped will attract investment and bring down costs.

Humphrey Cadoux-Hudson, managing director of the Sizewell C project, said:
“Sizewell C is a net-zero infrastructure project ready to kick-start the economy following the coronavirus crisis.
“It will offer thousands of high-quality job opportunities and long-term employment for people living in Suffolk and it will strengthen the nuclear supply chain across the country.
“The project will play a key role in lowering emissions while helping the UK keep control of its low carbon future.”
– HUMPHREY CADOUX-HUDSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR

He said the construction of Sizewell C will prevent nine million tonnes of carbon dioxide being pumped into the atmosphere each year, compared to electricity generated by gas plants.
The planning process is likely to take 18 months to complete and the Government will make the final decision on whether to give the green light to the scheme.

The Stop Sizewell C campaign group which opposes the scheme warns it is costly, diverts investment from other green energy sources such as renewables and would damage tourism and nature in the area.

Alison Downes, of Stop Sizewell C, also criticised the move to submit the application during lockdown.
“With restrictions set to last many months, there cannot be full public participation in the planning process – even the Planning Inspectorate does not yet know how it could work.” “Sizewell C would be an expensive bridge to nowhere: it will suck vital funds away from the technologies and projects that are more capable of truly transforming our energy landscape.”
– ALISON DOWNES, STOP SIZEWELL C