We’ve known for a long time that nuclear energy is a false solution to climate change. Not only are the health and environmental impacts of nuclear power intolerable, but it also gobbles up investments we should be making in clean and safe renewable energy. Now, a new study by researchers at the University of Sussex in the UK brings us the latest and most robust evidence of these facts. The study, published last week in Nature Energy, considers three hypotheses: Firstly, that emissions decline the more a country adopts nuclear power; secondly, that emissions decline the more a country adopts renewables; and thirdly, that nuclear and renewables are ‘mutually exclusive’ options that tend to crowd each other out at an energy system level. The hypotheses were tested against 25 years’ worth of electricity-production and emissions data from 123 countries. The result? Investment in nuclear is mostly negatively correlated with decreases in carbon emissions, while investment in renewables was positively correlated with such decreases across the board. In other words, countries that invested in nuclear didn’t see emission reductions but countries that invested in renewables did.

Beyond Nuclear 25th Oct 2020 read more »

Campaigners have agreed to continue their battle to stop an historic Suffolk woodland from being felled – and are taking the fight to the Court of Appeal. EDF is preparing to cut down the 100-year-old Coronation Wood in order to use the land and Pillbox Field to relocate some Sizewell B buildings ready for a start on Sizewell C. However, TASC (Together Against Sizewell C) says the project is premature because the twin reactor nuclear power station has yet to receive planning permission. TASC has now applied to Court of Appeal following the High Court’s dismissal of supporter Joan Girling’s bid for a judicial review application of the planning consent earlier this month. Joan Girling said, ‘‘The Planning Inspectorate has now accepted EdF’s recently submitted Sizewell C DCO application. However, it remains our view that permission for Sizewell C is not a foregone conclusion. “There is no certainty that it will be given approval. Until such time that the Sizewell C application is determined, it is the view of many people that the needless destruction of Coronation Wood should not go ahead.

East Anglian Daily Times 24th Oct 2020 read more »

An appeal has been launched for officers to carry out land investigations at the site of a new nuclear power plant. Maldon District Council rejected the original application for land investigations to take place at the site of the proposed Bradwell B plant. The council’s planning committee voted against the land investigations by 14 to one. Now an appeal has been launched to the Secretary of State against the council’s decision. The appeal will be determined by written representation from both parties involved.

Braintree & Witham Times 23rd Oct 2020 read more »

Essex Gazette 23rd Oct 2020 read more »

Swell of support for Welsh renewables as nuclear plans fall through. Back in 2018, the plans for the Swansea Tidal Lagoon were rejected by the UK government, but within the same month, Westminster issued a statement outlining their full support for Anglesey’s new £20bn ($25.7bn) nuclear reactor, Wylfa B, writes Jemma King. Wylfa’s perceived virtue, over the clean energy lagoon, was that nuclear represented greater value for money, and that it would create better returns and employment opportunities in the long run. On the back of these factors, the government confirmed that taxpayers would benefit from investing public-purse money into the project. However, this month, after £2bn ($2.5) had already been spent in development (using both taxpayers’ money and investment from Hitachi), the plug was pulled on the venture.

Power Engineering 21st Oct 2020 read more »

Wales’ environment minister says she understands concerns over plans to dump more mud dredged from near a Somerset nuclear power site into the sea off Cardiff Bay. There was huge controversy over the initial work, carried out in 2018. EDF Energy wants to deposit up to 780,000 tonnes of sediment dredged as part of building Hinkley Point C. Minister Lesley Griffiths said “robust” licensing laws would protect both human health and the environment. Ms Griffiths confirmed that EDF Energy has agreed to conduct a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to “provide reassurances to members of the public on its proposed activity”. The plans were debated in the Senedd on Wednesday, in response to a petition which received more than ten thousand signatures demanding an EIA. The seabed alongside Hinkley Point C – which is being built near Bridgwater – is being dredged so that the £21.5-22.5bn power station’s water-cooling system can be installed. EDF Energy says this will involve tunnelling more than 3km into the Bristol Channel. Campaigners have raised fears the process could be churning up contamination from the old Hinkley A and B reactors, which used to be on the site.

BBC 21st Oct 2020 read more »

The builders of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station must be completely open about the potential environmental impact of dumping tens of thousands of tonnes of mud in the sea near Cardiff, politicians in Wales have said. EDF is proposing to deposit mud excavated as part of the huge construction project on the Somerset coast in the waters off the Welsh capital next year. The Welsh parliament debated the issue on Wednesday after 10,000 people signed a petition calling for a full environmental impact assessment (EIA) to be carried out on the proposal. Petitioners, led by the musician Cian Ciarán, of the band Super Furry Animals, fear the mud could be contaminated and may cause environmental damage and harm the health of people who live in south Wales. Ahead of the debate, EDF confirmed it would carry out a full EIA but members of the Welsh parliament, or Senedd Cymru, said it was vital the findings – and the workings – were published in full. Llyr Gruffydd, a Plaid Cymru member of the Senedd, said there were “real concerns” that the dumping may harm marine life and put public health in danger.

Guardian 21st Oct 2020 read more »

Richard Bramhall, Secretary of the Level Radiation Campaign. Tomorrow the Senedd will debate a petition calling for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to be undertaken ahead of any further dredged material from Hinkley Point being disposed of at the Cardiff Grounds disposal site. This is taking centre stage as Electricité de France (EDF) seeks a licence to dredge huge amounts of mud from the Severn Estuary and dump it on a shallow sandbank less than two miles from Cardiff. The Environment (Wales) Act 2016 requires decision-makers to take great care and to consult widely when there are uncertainties. We argue that there are large uncertainties about how many uranium oxide fragments are in the mud, and about where they would go if dumped on Cardiff Grounds, how much genetic damage they would do to the population of Wales and whether the people who must make the licensing decisions understand the relevant science.

Nation Cymru 20th Oct 2020 read more »

Campaigners attempting to stop mud from the construction of Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Station, Somerset, being dumped into Welsh waters, have announced they are working with leading environmental lawyers Leigh Day to block the proposals. In February EDF Energy applied to National Resources Wales for a licence to dump 800,0000 tonnes of mud dredged as part of building work for the new plant that is being built on the site of the disused Hinkley Point A facility. Two years ago, EDF were given permission to dump 300,000 tonnes of mud from the site off the Cardiff coast, despite protests and following a Senedd debate. A petition against the latest proposals received over 10,000 signatures and has triggered a debate in the Senedd tomorrow. Earlier this month EDF Energy confirmed it will carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment as part of its licence application. This agreement reverses NRW and Welsh Government’s previous position that an EIA was not needed for the dumping they permitted in 2018 just 2.1 miles off the South Wales coast and 2.5 miles from Cardiff. Leigh Day has now written to Natural Resources Wales (NRW) requesting full disclosure of documents on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)-screening application from EDF and the agreement with NRW that “environmental impact assessment is required”. EDF are also facing a public inquiry over a controversial fish management system that is being installed at the site of the new facility. The Environment Agency granted a licence to EDF in 2013 that permitted sea water to be used for the nuclear power station’s cooling system but required the deployment of a fish deterrent system on the site to protect marine life in the estuary. Initially the operator proposed the use of an acoustic deterrent system to reduce the number of fish being killed by the cooling system but in 2017 abandoned the plans without suggesting any alternative. Currently the plant’s proposed Fish Recovery and Return System will consist of a 5mm mesh barrier set up in the water intake tunnel to stop large fish from being sucked in while another channel will divert fish, dead or alive, back out to sea. Last year the Sunday Times reported that marine and conservation groups estimated that this system will kill 250,000 fish a day and called for it to be altered or scrapped. EDF said the FRR will kills an estimated 650,00 fish a year.

Nation Cymru 20th Oct 2020 read more »

Campaigners have voiced their frustration at major changes to the Sizewell C plans which have been submitted just days after more than 1,200 respondents gave their views on the project. EDF Energy has submitted 14 changes to the plans for the £20billion twin reactor nuclear power station – and a 30-day public consultation is to take place next month. The main changes involve making more use of rail and sea to deliver construction materials for the massive project, with an increase in trains and alterations to the proposed beach landing facility. It was only a few days ago that the opportunity to comment on the project closed and the Planning Inspectorate is still verifying each of the 1,287 submissions from people, businesses, councils and agencies. Campaign groups say they are horrified that people are likely now to be asked all over again to submit comments on EDF’s revised proposals. Stop Sizewell C said it could not believe EDF had only just realised after years of consultation that Suffolk people didn’t want a road-led transport strategy for delivery of construction materials that would put 1,000 HGVs on the roads.

East Anglian Daily Times 17th Oct 2020 read more »

This morning the East Anglian Daily Times published a story about EDF wanting to change its Sizewell C proposals, and plans to hold a new 30-day consultation. This has generated much confusion and outrage – but having spoken to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) we have a little more information about what this means. The proposals are not yet published. It looks like a 30-day consultation could be held from 16 November until 15 December during which we would be expected to send feedback to EDF. EDF would finalise its changes and formally submit them to the Examining Authority, which would then decide whether to accept these revised proposals for examination. Whether new Relevant Representations would have to be made, or whether the Examining Authority would decide the examination timetable based on the ones already sent, is not totally clear to us. The examination would almost certainly be delayed. We are appalled by EDF’s cavalier treatment of people. Since it is not credible that EDF has only just come up with these changes since 30 September (when Councils and MPs expressed such strong concerns), EDF should have told us before 30 September that changes were coming, paused the process in order to conduct their consultations, and then restarted it, so that everyone could make their Relevant Representations based on up to date information.

Stop Sizewell C (Instagram) 16th Oct 2020 read more »