Representation by Tanya Mercer
- Date submitted
- 30 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Having researched this subject and spoken to several representatives on all sides of the argument, I wish to raise the following issues of concern about Sizewell C. The site is in a very volatile area at risk of coastal erosion, sea level rise and flooding. Any work to combat this will have an impact on coastal processes elsewhere along the coast. The site will be adjacent to several internationally-important ecological sites and the impact on nesting birds, rare species and landscapes will be irrevocable. This is not something EDF can simply throw money at and hope to replicate. The damage will be forever. The impact on the local community will be huge with unimaginable traffic and noise pollution. Housing the workers and providing for the countless cars on the roads will be massive in such a quiet area. The lorries will be incessant on tiny country roads. It will destroy everything that is special about this area. And in turn that will destroy tourism, which is so vital for the region’s local economy. The issue of nuclear energy is outdated. It is expensive and takes too long to build. This country needs to be carbon neutral by 2050. EDF admits that the site will not start contributing to the carbon neutral goals until 2040. That is simply too late. The world’s future should be focusing on renewables and hydrogen and new storage solutions. Finally, I fear the safety record and overrunning of the European Pressurised Reactors. One only need look at Flamanville and Olkiluoto 3 to see the concern and embarrassment this project will undoubtedly cause. Spending billions on a project that will create years of disruption and irrevocable damage is ludicrous. Its legacy will be destruction and a site riddled with nuclear waste for over a century. It is quite simply the wrong project for this country. Please endure future generations do not look back on this decision and judge us.