EDF Warns of Further Delays to Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Plant Due to Fish Protection Concerns
The owner of Hinkley Point C in Somerset has warned that the much-delayed construction of Britain's first new nuclear power plant in a generation could face further hold-ups due to a row over its impact on local fish.
The nuclear developer, EDF Energy, announced that the "lengthy process" to agree to a solution with local communities to protect fish in the River Severn has "the potential to delay the operation of the power station".
As a result, the developer, which is owned by the French state, raised the threat of further delays to Hinkley Point - a project already running years late and billions of pounds over budget.
EDF stated last year that Hinkley could be postponed until as late as 2031, with estimated costs soaring to up to £35bn in 2015 money. The actual cost, including inflation, would be considerably higher. However, EDF declined to disclose how long any new delay might be.
The possibility of a fresh delay to the plant, projected to generate about 7% of the UK's electricity in the 2030s, coincides with a growing dispute between green groups and the government regarding Chancellor Rachel Reeves's plan to prioritise economic growth over environmental considerations and the net zero target.
Last week, EDF welcomed the government's new reforms aimed at "stopping blockers" that impede new infrastructure projects, including nuclear power plants. The company has called for the government to establish a framework to manage environmental concerns "in a more proportionate" manner.
Amidst this, the developer has urged the government to ease environmental regulations while facing opposition from local communities regarding its complex strategies to protect local fish populations at risk of being drawn into the cooling systems of the nuclear power plant.
Initially, the company planned to install an "acoustic fish deterrent" to prevent fish from approaching the reactor's water intake system, which is nearly two miles offshore. This project, informally referred to as "the fish disco" among former ministers, would involve nearly 300 underwater speakers emitting noise louder than a jumbo jet 24 hours a day for 60 years.
However, the plan was eventually abandoned by EDF due to safety concerns for divers who would have to maintain the speakers in hazardous conditions, along with questions regarding its efficacy. Without this measure, it is estimated that between 18 to 46 tonnes of fish could be killed each year.
Local farmers and landowners were dismayed by EDF's proposal to convert 340 hectares (840 acres) of land along the River Severn into a salt marsh to offset the anticipated fish deaths caused by the reactor. Following growing protests, EDF announced it would postpone the formal consultation on its salt marsh plan until later this year.
The Hinkley Point project is viewed as a vital component of Britain's strategy to achieve its legally binding target of reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. Nonetheless, it has already encountered significant delays and escalating costs.
In 2007, EDF claimed turkeys would be cooked using electricity generated from Hinkley by Christmas 2017. By the project's green light in 2016, completion was scheduled for June 2027 at an estimated cost of £18bn.
EDF has reiterated its call for the government to introduce new planning reforms ensuring that environmental safeguard requirements are assessed "in a proportionate and reasonable way".
In a statement, EDF remarked: "Hinkley Point C is the first power station in the Severn to have fish protection measures in place, with a specially designed low-velocity cooling water intake system and a fish return system. However, the current lengthy process to identify and implement acceptable compensation for a small remaining assessed impact on fish has the potential to delay the operation of the power station."
