The UK & Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA), the ‘Stop Hinkley’ campaign and the ‘Geiger Bay’ campaign have been involved in raising concerns over the dumping of large amounts of dredged materials from the EDF site at Hinkley Point into sites between the south Wales and the Somerset coast. In a surprise move to the groups, EDF, which is building a new nuclear reactor at Hinkley Point, has announced that the Portishead marine disposal site LU070 is now a possible dumping ground for the seabed sediment it is seeking to dredge from Bridgwater Bay in order to sink cooling water intake and outfall tunnels for the new reactors at Hinkley Point. Despite major public opposition in Wales, in 2018 the Welsh Government permitted EDF to dump large quantities of Hinkley C dredged mud at the Cardiff Deep Grounds inshore disposal site, only 2 miles off the Cardiff Bay sea front. This came after EDF insisted that it was the only suitable site available in the Bristol Channel. However, EDF has recently announced its intention to apply to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) for a license to dump at Portishead, while also making a further application to dump at the existing Welsh site. No reason has been given by EDF for the Portishead proposal.
NFLA 27th Jan 2021 read more »