An alternative acoustic fish deterrent (AFD) system is being proposed for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station near Burnham-On-Sea to end a bitter row over some of the site’s environmental measures.
The move sees EDF, which owns the nuclear power site, drop the controversial idea to create new salt marshes along the Severn Estuary rather than fit AFDs to the station’s water intake turbines.
The company had been applying to the Environment Agency for permission to not fit AFDs due to the high cost and the danger for divers involved in fitting them in the fast-flowing tides and poor visibility of the Bristol Channel.
Instead, it proposed the creation of 840 acres of salt marsh as new wildlife habitat to compensate for the estimated 44 million tonnes of fish likely to be killed by the intake turbines.
But community groups along the coast were bitterly opposed to the salt marsh plans.
Now, Hinkley C stakeholder relations head Andrew Cockcroft has said an innovative new form of AFD could be used.
Mr Cockcroft said it was EDF’s preferred solution to the issue of deterring fish from swimming too close to the Hinkley intakes and being sucked in.
He told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “The technology, pioneered in the South West, is proven and deployed internationally.”
“We are now working with experts to provide the scientific data to underpin the case for using it at Hinkley Point C.”
“We have received positive feedback from environmental groups and this option is now our preferred solution rather pursuing salt marsh creation.”
Andrew Cockcroft adds that all salt marsh design and development would be paused while work continues in 2025 to prove the effectiveness of the new AFD system.
The new AFDs are already used in fishing fleets around the world, with the technology using electronic transducers to target specific fish species with high-frequency sound.
Mr Cockcroft said Hinkley C would be the first nuclear power station on the Severn to have fish protection built into its design with specially designed low velocity cooling water intake heads and a fish return system.
AFDs would be a third measure and at the time were an emerging technology and would have required more than 280 underwater speakers to be installed.
Mr Cockcroft said it was not considered acceptable to risk divers’ lives to mitigate the remaining impact on the local fish population.
He said planned consultation on salt marsh creation was now being cancelled and would hopefully not be required. However, he said: “Until the scientific work on the acoustic fish deterrent is complete, we are not yet able to rule out the need for salt marsh creation in the future.”
Mr Cockcroft said finding an ‘enduring solution’ to meet complex environmental regulations had not been a quick or straightforward process and he accepted the continuing uncertainty had caused ‘worry and frustration’ for some people.
He said community concerns were well understood by EDF and had informed the company’s thinking since meetings had been held with groups last year.
