Nuclear campaigners have this week called on the Planning Inspectorate to object to EDF Energy’s application for a ‘Non-Material Change’ at the Hinkley Point C development site.
The Stop Hinkley campaign has written to the Planning Inspectorate, saying it is concerned with the proposed change in the design of a radioactive waste storage system at the site – from a wet to a dry system.
This requires modification of the interim spent fuel store on site, making it twice as big by volume and 30m high (as opposed to 25m).
Stop Hinkley argues that this should not be deemed a ‘non-material’ change.
Stop Hinkley spokesperson Roy Pumfrey said: “There has been virtually no discussion nationally about how the nuclear waste generated by Hinkley Point C will be managed, despite the fact that we still don’t know what is going to happen to the waste we have already created.”
“By the time the station closes in around 2085, the radioactive content of the waste will amount to the equivalent of 80% of the waste which currently exists in the whole of the UK.”
“Sending it to Cumbria and reviving reprocessing would send radioactivity back here via the Irish Sea.”
“The best answer is not to produce the waste in the first place. We cannot simply pass the nuclear waste problem on to future generations. It is time to cancel Hinkley Point C.”
An EDF spokesman said: “Our agreed consultees, the Hinkley Point C Community Forum and the local parish council, have been informed about our proposal to change from a wet store to a dry fuel store, which is an equally safe and robust storage method used across Europe and the USA.”
“The amount of fuel stored on site would not increase under this application – only the method of storage, which we are already using at Sizewell B, Suffolk.”
EDF has submitted a separate planning application to make a number of changes at the site, including modifying the size of the plot for the fuel store building, as well as realigning a section of the sea wall and additional pipework at the temporary jetty.
The application to change the plot size for the fuel store building is now subject to public consultation. Hinkley Point C is expected to be fully operational by 2027.
