Sizewell C bosses say there are currently no plans for 30 foot high flood barriers at nuclear site
Campaigners say it would have a devastating impact on locals
Last updated 10th Oct 2024
Bosses at a nuclear power station planned for the Suffolk coast say there are no current plans to build two 30-foot high flood defence walls at the site, despite claims from campaigners.
The Together Against Sizwell C (TASC) group says EDF's 'hidden plans for the barriers would devastate neighbouring villages if they are installed'.
The campaign group claims, to the south of the Sizewell C site, the wall will span the ‘Sizewell Gap’ joining Sizewell A’s Sea defences to the cliffs to the south of Sizewell village.
It also suggests a northern wall would span the river in the Sizewell Marshes SSSI, joining Sizewell C’s northern sea defences with higher ground inland at Goose Hill and will be at least 100 metres in length but potentially much longer.
Those in the group also claim that the ONR says that Sizewell C Ltd, the site’s developer, is ‘committed’ to install these structures ‘should climate change be worse than is reasonably foreseeable’, despite there being no mention of them in EDF’s application for the Development Consent Order (DCO) for Sizewell C.
What do Sizewell C bosses say?
We contacted bosses at Sizewell C who say:
"These are 'theoretical actions we might take in the future if climate change is worse than reasonably foreseeable.
"As you would expect, while we have a very clear sea defence strategy, based on thousands of hours of flood risk modelling using the highest plausible estimates, we also have to have mitigation measures in place in case of climate scenarios that are beyond what is reasonably foreseeable – and that’s what they’re referring to, not our actual flood defence plans."
What does ONR say?
ONR says: "Consideration of a site’s flood hazard is a fundamental part of ONR’s assessment of site suitability. As part of our Nuclear Site Licence assessment, we ensured that we had confidence that sufficient defences against flooding could be constructed."