nuclear-news

Independent 17th March 2021, Hinkley Point C nuclear power station ‘could suck up 182 million fish a year’ from Severn Estuary, report warns. Cooling system will extract 120,000 litres of seawater a second once the plant is operational. The Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant being built in Somerset could suck in 182 million fish a year from the Severn Estuary once it is operational, experts have warned the Welsh government.

Concern over the impact of the power station comes ahead of a public consultation on efforts by EDF energy to change the agreed conditions on which the French company is going ahead with the construction. The existing development consent order (DCO) which
the power station is subject to requires an acoustic fish deterrent to be installed at the site, but EDF is trying to have this part of the DCO changed so the deterrent is no longer required. The reason the deterrent was part of the original DCO is because due to the cooling operation required, the design features two vast tunnels capable of sucking up 120,000 litres of cooling water per second from the sea and circulating it through the system to cool the nuclear reactor.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hinkley-point-c-power-station-fish-suck-b1818580.html