Hinkley Point C Approved

Planning consent to build a new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point C in Somerset has recently been granted by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Edward Davey MP.

This is the first major infrastructure project of national significance decided under the new planning arrangements and marks a pivotal step forward in the UK’s nuclear new build programme.

Welcoming the decision, Nuclear Industry Association Chief Executive Keith Parker said: “This is a major milestone in a long road towards securing our clean energy future. Today’s decision represents one of the final hurdles to building the first new nuclear power station in the UK for almost two decades. It is also the first test of the new planning regime. This shovel ready project is on the brink of kick starting the nuclear renaissance in earnest. Once operational, Hinkley Point C will generate enough reliable and low carbon electricity to power five million homes for 60 years.”

Keith Parker continued: “During construction, nuclear new build will be a major engine for economic growth. The whole of the UK will benefit from the creation of thousands of new jobs, as well as a strong industrial skills base and supply chain that will put the UK at the forefront of the global nuclear renaissance.”

The Secretary of State’s decision follows a three year consultation by EDF Energy with local communities, involving 100 public meetings and 33,000 comments, in addition to a six month examination by the Independent Planning Inspectorate.

Hinkley Point C will be the first new nuclear station to be built since Sizewell B in 1995, and the first to have a Funded Decommissioning Programme, requiring the operator of a new nuclear plant to meet the full costs of decommissioning and its share of waste disposal.

For more information please visit www.edfenergy.com

The Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) is the trade association and representative voice of Britain’s civil nuclear industry. It represents more than 270 companies including the operators of the nuclear power stations, those engaged in decommissioning, waste management, nuclear liabilities management and all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear equipment suppliers, engineering and construction firms, nuclear research organisations, and legal, financial and consultancy companies. See www.niauk.org

Published: 26th June 2013