nuclear-news

Stop Sizewell C campaigner slams Labour lies over nuclear power

Alison Downes from the Stop Sizewell C campaign group spoke to Socialist Worker

Thursday 19 June 2025, https://socialistworker.co.uk/environment/stop-sizewell-c-campaigner-slams-labour-lies-over-nuclear-power/

Labour energy secretary Ed Miliband claims Britain needs new nuclear power plants “to deliver a golden age of clean energy abundance”. 

But Alison Downes from the Stop Sizewell C campaign group says it’s the last thing we need to stop climate breakdown.

The Labour government pledged over £14 billion last week towards building a new nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast. Construction of Sizewell C began last year, next to the live Sizewell B plant.

Alison told Socialist Worker she opposes it because of “the climate emergency and the need for quick, cost effective action to reduce our carbon emissions”. 

“This type of reactor has got such a bad track record in the other places where it’s been built, or attempted to be built,” she explained. 

“And the slowness of completion all count against it as a solution for a climate emergency.” 

The new nuclear plant would cost billions at a time when Labour is pushing austerity. Alison said, “In 2020 the cost was estimated at £20 billion and I think very credibly is now predicted at around £40 billion. 

“Our assumption is that at least 50 percent of Sizewell C would be paid for by the taxpayer.” 

She added, “A lot of this information is not in the public domain. Every time we ask, we get batted away with reasons of commercial confidentiality. 

“But our understanding is that the government still intends to be a majority owner in the project.”

Sizewell C, which will be built by French state-owned company EDF, is  expected to be operational some time in the 2030s. 

It will be funded using a Regulated Asset Base model. This will guarantee EDF a return on its investments and means that electricity suppliers will contribute to the cost of building the plant. 

“And that comes from consumer bills,” says Alison. “Consumers just have to keep paying for as long as the project is under construction.” 

Radioactive waste disposal underlines that nuclear power is not an environmentally-friendly option. 

In the long term, it would need to be stored deep underground. 

Alison explained, “A disposal facility for all of Britain’s waste is under consideration. But they still haven’t found a willing host community in a place where the geology is suitable. 

“We don’t really know when it would be available and how much it would cost. Sizewell B waste is here and is going to be here for decades to come. 

“And, of course, you have big question marks about the impacts of climate change. Every time new studies are released they suggest that those impacts are bigger and faster than previously thought.

“So you have to factor in the cost of keeping this site safe from flooding for a century or more.”

The leaderships of the Unite and GMB unions have enthusiastically welcomed the Sizewell C announcement.  

Alison said, “Well, of course, major infrastructure projects bring jobs. We definitely agree that opportunities for young people are very important. But they’re not necessarily very long term jobs. 

“There was a major boom and bust in this area when Sizewell B was built. A lot of people feel that the area has really struggled in the aftermath as a result of the crash once construction was finished.

“The thing that really frustrates us about this is that the number of permanent long term jobs at Sizewell C is relatively small. It’s about 700 with a couple of hundred contractors.” 

Alison said that home insulation would make people’s energy bills go down and create thousands of new jobs. 

Stop Sizewell C has run advertising campaigns on the London Underground, lobbied county councils, met with ministers and stopped pension funds from investing in the project. 

“Keir Starmer was due to come here last week and he cancelled at short notice,” said Alison. “I think he probably thought that it might be wise to stay away.”

Unions should fight for investment in green energy and a just transition for workers in nuclear. 

June 21, 2025 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | spinbuster, UK