nuclear-news

Proposed Sizewell C nuclear station is completely untenable, as the Hinkley C debacle shows

Shut Down Sizewell 13th Aug 2017, It might seem strange for us to focus on Hinkley Point in Somerset for our
front page story, but what happens at Hinkley will almost certainly have a
direct impact on what happens at the nuclear power station at Sizewell in
Suffolk in the years to come.

This Campaign has always maintained that a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK, including the proposed
Sizewell C, is completely untenable and with all that is happening at
Hinkley Point, it now seems to be increasingly the case. The new nuclear
power station: Hinkley Point C, is now subject to a ‘full review’
following a statement from its developer Électricité de France (EdF) that
it expects the project to be years late and billions of Euros over budget.
The anticipated completion date has already been extended from 2025 to
2027, and the cost, shared with China State Nuclear Company (CGN), is
already likely to increase by up to 3bn Euros.

The latest forecasts reveal that Hinkley Point C could cost energy bill payers in the UK £50bn over
the life of the project, compared to the original estimate in 2013, of
£6bn. The National Audit Office in the UK has labelled the HInkley plans
as ‘risky and expensive’ and it has urged the Government to have an
alternative plan in place in case the project is delayed or cancelled.

This at a time when offshore wind power will be up to 50% cheaper than nuclear,
and certainly far safer and far better for the environment. Technological
advances, including larger more efficient turbines and economies of scale
in manufacturing, have resulted in the cost of offshore wind power tumbling
to an all-time low. It is anticipated that the guaranteed price is expected
to be so low, that it could be free of subsidy altogether. Millions are now
being invested in battery power, which is making wind and solar energy
storage a reality across the world. Technological advances have resulted in
production being doubled in Western Europe, paving the way for a green
energy revolution that will consign nuclear power to the economic and
environmental scrapheap.  http://www.shutdown-sizewell.org.uk/how-the-failures-at-hinkley-c-may-impact-on-the-plans-for-sizewell-c/

August 16, 2017 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general