Hinkley Point near Burnham-On-Sea earmarked for new nuclear plant

Published: November 27, 2007
Hinkley Point near Burnham-On-Sea earmarked for new nuclear plant

British Energy has named Hinkley Point, near Burnham-On-Sea, as a possible location for one of its 'next-generation' nuclear plants.

The firm said on Tuesday (November 27th) that it had also earmarked Sizewell in Suffolk, Bradwell in Essex, Dungeness in Kent, Heysham in Lancashire, Torness in East Lothian, and Hunterston in Ayrshire for development.

The firm said flood defence and coast protection could make nuclear power possible at all eight sites.

There have been concerns that rising sea water could threaten power stations on coastal sites but the report, based on research by independent consultants from Halcrow engineering group, found "the key conclusion is that flood defence and coast protection measure can be deployed to make replacement build a feasible option at all sites."

"Relying solely on current engineering methods and knowledge, the sites can be made robust against climate change impacts for the expected lifetimes of the replacement stations," it added.

However, the firm said access to the grid is likely to be an important constraining factor in selecting sites.

Friends of the Earth's campaigner Neil Crumpton said that it was "crazy" to build a new generation of nuclear reactors. "The new reactor designs are all untested prototypes, and the shortage of skills and component availability to build new stations would seriously compromise speedy or safe deployment," he said.