Tessa Munt, MP for Wells and rural areas around Burnham-On-Sea, has welcomed “a wave of common sense” as EDF pauses saltmarsh plans.
EDF has informed communities around the Severn Estuary that it is pausing work on proposals for new areas of saltmarsh at Kingston Seymour while it worked to “establish the suitability of a new acoustic fish deterrent technology”.
Tessa Munt, pictured, says: “Finally, there seems to be a wave of common sense from EDF. This is fantastic news for the local community in the affected area.
“I will however keep a close eye on developments as they have described this as a ‘pause to all development work’ not a cancellation. Destroying hundreds of acres of biodiverse landscape in the name of environmental mitigation is nothing less than completely bonkers.”
It follows comments from Andrew Cockcroft, Head of Stakeholder Relations for Hinkley Point C, who added: “Our power station is the first on the Severn Estuary to have fish protection measures built into its design. We have built low-velocity intake heads and we are building a fish return system.”
“This new innovation allows us to go forward and fit an acoustic deterrent system in those really hostile waters of the Severn without putting the safety of divers at risk in the process.”
“We are now working with experts to provide the scientific data to underpin the case for using it. Our intention is to reach a solution that balances the interests of communities with meeting demanding environmental obligations.”
