Proposed nuclear power plant not a threat to Ireland, Government says. Irish public urged to participate in a consultation process on €22.5 Sizewell C facility at Suffolk. The Government has said it is satisfied a proposed €22.5 billion nuclear power plant in the UK does not pose a threat to Ireland. The Irish public has been urged to participate in a consultation process regarding the development of the Sizewell C facility at Suffolk. In line with a UN convention, UK authorities announced the consultation in Ireland on Wednesday and details of the plant are to be made available for review in planning offices across Ireland. Located on the east coast of England, it is to contain two reactor units generating 3,340MW of power, enough for about six million homes. Construction is due to take up to 12 years and the plant itself would have a lifespan of 60 years. The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government received notification from the UK authorities regarding the plans under the terms of the UN Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context, known as the Espoo Convention. “While that [the UK’s assurance there is no adverse threat to Ireland] is very welcome, people can’t be complacent,” said Attracta Uí Bhroin, environmental law officer at the Irish Environmental Network (IEN). “The fact of the matter is that nuclear accidents do happen, thankfully very rarely…absolute vigilance is essential.” Ms Uí Bhroin pointed out that nobody recalls what the initial probability was of an incident at Chernobyl, Fukushima or Three Mile Island in the US, only the disasters themselves. She said it was important that members of the public – not just environmental groups – take part in order to apply pressure on Irish authorities to ensure oversight, particularly in terms of an environmental impact assessment.
Irish Times 2nd Sept 2020 read more »