Representation by Fiona Williams
- Date submitted
- 17 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
1.At this time of Climate Change I am concerned that too much water will be used for the processes of the new Sizewell C plant. Over 1,600m3 mains drinking water may be needed per day. This means 20percent of the local catchment area’s water. Suffolk is one of the driest counties in the UK . Water is essential for agriculture, industry, domestic use and also, and equally importantly, for maintaining the eco-balance in this beautiful coastal area. We are told that droughts will become more frequent in the future. If there were a period of drought in Suffolk what would be the priority for the water board? To address the lack of water in Suffolk, there has long been an ongoing discussion about water being transferred from the River Trent. A 1993 feasibility study looking at this issue estimated possible costs running into hundreds of millions so if Sizewell C goes ahead, new reservoirs and infrastructure would have to be created.The plans for a reservoir at Great Bradley were finally dropped as unsuitable. Where will the water for Sizewell C come from? There was no mention of any solution to this problem in EDF’s Second Consultation Document so how do they intend to comply with the Suffolk Ecology Principles that have been set out ? 2. A single nuclear reactor does not provide power for much more than 60 years.The enormous cost of building and developing Sizewell C in terms of money, environmental damage and carbon impact makes it a worrying use of resources in these post Brexit and post Covid times. Financial backers Hitachi's recent withdrawal from the Wylfa project in Wales will impact Britain's nuclear supply chain putting been more pressure on Sizewell C but in spite of the fact that nuclear energy is now twice as expensive as renewable energy. In a Financial Times article 25June 2020 it states that the cost of Sizewell C is now put at 20bn rather than the 18bn predicted by the developers the French EDF and Chinese Government CGN. Judging by Hinckley Point's example it is likely to go up further. The article states that “Privately, some nuclear industry leaders have been making an argument for the taxpayer to take a stake in any new project” as the developers have not clarified how the new plant would be funded this is very worrying especially in the current global economic climate. 3. I am very concerned about the issue of waste, how it will be stored and treated both short term and long term in this area of coastal erosion and instability. What will happen to it in the very long term must be worked out in the early stages otherwise it will be yet another problem for future generations to deal with.Is there any legal framework that will ensure this? 3. I grew up in Suffolk and regularly visit this stunningly lovely county. The projected building of Sizewell C would be in an AONB and cannot possibly do other than damage the natural environment which takes hundreds of years to develop. What assurances are in place to make sure that compensatory measures are put in place at every stage to protect the environment if the project takes longer than anticipated or runs out of money or its backers pull out?