Wildlife ‘catastrophe’ fears over reactor plan
IT is a wetland nature reserve that became home for three years to the BBC’s popular Springwatch series.
But campaigners fear Minsmere, a 2,500-acre Royal Society for the Protection of Birds site on the Suffolk coast, faces catastrophe under nuclear power station plans being put forward by the French energy company EDF.
The site, which attracts numerous rare species including marsh harriers, lies close to the existing Sizewell B power station.
Now EDF now wants to build Sizewell C, comprising two more giant reactors.
Locals say years of discussions between the firm, environmentalists and local residents had been positive until EDF this year scrapped its plan to build a special half-milelong jetty so most of the millions of tons of materials needed to build the plants could be delivered by sea. Instead, the firm now suggests bringing in materials by road and rail. Campaigners say this would involve a huge increase in traffic involving 38-ton lorries in up to 1,150 movements a day. Opposition led by naturalist and Springwatch presenter Chris Packham is growing, with more than 20,000 RSPB supporters sending emails to EDF urging it to think again. Last night, an EDF spokesman said ‘environmental sensitivities’ were a ‘key consideration’ of the £20 billion scheme. She added that the company was holding ‘regular workshops’ with local and national bodies to ‘look closely at how to minimise the impact of building Sizewell C’.