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Published:
May 12, 2008
New
owner for Hinkley Point as
power firm buys up land?
 Europe's
biggest power company has
been buying up land around Hinkley Point power station, near Burnham-On-Sea,
and could soon be the plant's new company if take-over talks are
successful.
EDF
has been buying land close to two nuclear sites on the island
of Anglesey in north Wales and Hinkley Point, according to The
Financial Times newspaper.
The
land acquisitions give the company the option to build its own
nuclear power stations if its bid to buy British Energy fails.
EDF
has said, though, that it has not yet begun applying for permission
to build reactors on the land it has acquired.
EDF
reportedly wants to build two 1,600 megawatt reactors, giving
a total output of 3,200 megawatts, nearly three times that of
Hinkley B (1,250 MW).
Jim
Duffy of the Stop Hinkley campaign group said: "Europe's
largest power company is stealthily lining itself up to build
the two biggest nuclear reactors in the world at Hinkley. I'm
concerned about the hugeness of this project with its associated
factors of safety and terrorism. The radiation just in the spent
fuel stores would add up to forty times that released by Chernobyl.
If the Government believes its own line that terrorism is an active
threat we shouldn't go ahead with this ghastly plan."
EDF
made a takeover offer for British Energy last Friday, submitting
a proposal to the company's board but it did not disclose the
price. British Energy shares fell by more than two per cent on
Friday amid speculation that the EDF offer is less than hoped.
The government owns a 35% stake in British Energy and has indicated
that it is prepared to sell at the right price.
One
of Hinkley Point's reactors was shut down last week after 'tripping'
- as reported here
by Burnham-On-Sea.com.
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