UK neglecting climate crisis effects on new nuclear power stations

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 May 2023 18:37

The new constructions are intended to have an operation timeframe of 60 years and will require another 100 years after shutting down to cool enough to remove the remaining waste.

Sizewell nuclear power station seen in the area of Suffolk in the UK, on December 16, 2017 (Reuters)

With UK politicians explaining that nuclear power stations aim to start a generation of low-carbon forms of electricity to fight the climate crisis, they have forgotten to take into consideration the effect of the climate crisis on the building of these nuclear power stations.

Former government advisor on nuclear waste, Professor Andy Blowers, noted in the Town and Country Planning Association Journal that in 2011, the eight construction sites deemed suitable for new stations are the same ones identified as suitable 50 years earlier.

Initially selected for their remoteness, safety, and proximity to the sea for cooling purposes, the most updated reason for the site selection is a better chance of public acceptance due to two generations of local people having experience in the industry.

The new constructions are intended to have an operation timeframe of 60 years and will require another 100 years after shutting down to cool enough to remove the remaining waste.

Blowers, who opposes government plans, expressed worry over MPs not having considered sea level rise, severe storms, and the possibility of flooding at these sites as a result of the climate crisis. The Tyndall Centre of the University of East Anglia has already been projecting since June that rising sea levels will put around 200,000 coastal homes at risk in England by 2050.

The newest site is underway for the Sizewell C station, which was supposed to be a joint project with China but the UK ousted the latter from it in November 2022 - it now be built with the remaining French partner EDF.

Nuclear and renewables, such as offshore wind power, are seen as critical to ramp up Britain's energy security after the Western sanctions on Russia forced household gas and electricity bills to skyrocket this year.

The decision sparks questions about CGN's role alongside EDF in the construction of Hinkley Point, southwestern England, in Britain's first new nuclear power plant in more than two decades. "The UK government's investment in Sizewell C will support the project's continued development," the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said in a statement in November.

Nuclear power is becoming more popular in Europe, which is currently grappling with increased energy prices due to sanctions on Russia and other global factors, prompting its countries to plan ahead to avert problems in the future.