Sizewell C given green light despite water fears

Business Secretary overrules environmental concerns to grant planning approval for nuclear plant

KWASI KWARTENG has overruled officials and granted planning permission for the Sizewell C nuclear power plant despite concerns it will reduce water supplies available for households.

The Business Secretary approved the scheme yesterday against the recommendation of the Planning Inspectorate, arguing that the “very substantial and urgent need for the proposal outweighs the harms”.

He pointed to the Government’s plan to boost Britain’s energy security with a new generation of nuclear reactors and said Sizewell C would make a “substantial contribution” to that goal.

However, the decision faces a potential legal challenge following warnings that the area of Suffolk the plant will be built in lacks the necessary water supplies and that wildlife habitats will be damaged.

Essex and Suffolk Water has warned that it cannot meet the combined needs of households, other customers and Sizewell C with existing water supplies.

Alison Downes, a spokesman for campaign group Stop Sizewell C, said the project’s critics were busily “combing through” Mr Kwarteng’s decision and could seek a judicial review.

Campaigners have six weeks to challenge Mr Kwarteng’s decision.

Ms Downes added: “The Government has been forced to ram through a damaging project to shore up its energy strategy but the fact that the Planning Inspectorate recommended Sizewell C be refused consent is a huge victory.

“The wrong decision has been made but it’s not the end of our campaign to Stop Sizewell C. Not only will we be looking closely at appealing this decision, we’ll continue to challenge every aspect of Sizewell C, because – whether it is the impact on consumers, the massive costs and delays, the outstanding technical questions or the environmental impacts – it remains a bad project and a very bad risk.”

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Suffolk Wildlife Trust also said they were “disappointed” by the decision.

Sizewell C, which would produce enough electricity to power six million homes, has been proposed by stateowned French giant EDF and is expected to cost about £20bn.

It would be completed in the early 2030s, becoming just the second nuclear plant built in the UK since the opening of Sizewell B in 1995.

The other is Hinkley Point C, which is expected to come online in 2027.

Nuclear plants have become a key pillar of the Government’s energy security strategy, with ministers hoping they will produce 25pc of the country’s power. They are also seen by many as an essential component of plans to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said the granting of planning approval was a “huge step forward for Britain’s energy security and net zero ambitions”.

He said: “Sizewell C will provide reliable low-carbon power for more than 80 years, cutting gas use, creating thousands of high-quality, skilled jobs, and long-term investment and opportunity up and down the country.”

Northumbrian Water, which owns Essex and Suffolk Water, said local supplies are not enough to meet the plant’s needs during construction or operation. It has agreed with EDF that the problem can be addressed during construction by drawing saltwater from the sea with a temporary desalination plant.

Mr Kwarteng’s decision said he had considered the concerns but believed the various water supply options “represent potentially viable solutions, as would the fall-back of a permanent desalination plant”.

‘The fact that the Planning Inspectorate recommended Sizewell C be refused consent is a huge victory’