Councillors raise concerns over fish populations at Hinkley C
Forty-four tonnes of fish could die every year once the site is running
Last updated 18th Oct 2024
South Gloucestershire Council have raised concerns over the potential loss of wildlife at Hinkley Point C as bosses propose installing saltmarsh land in parts of North Somerset and Gloucestershire.
EDF energy, who run the nuclear power station at Hinkley C, are planning to build the habitat to compensate for the 44 tonnes of fish that could die every year once the site is running.
But land owners and councillors in South Gloucestershire have raised concern about the loss of wildlife and the health of the region’s rivers.
Why does the site pose such a threat to fish?
Hinkley Point C will produce a lot of energy and heat, which will need cooling.
The site’s proposed system would use sea water from the Bristol channel to keep the station’s temperature under control.
More than 120,000 litres of water a second will be needed once the site is up and running, with the water pumped back into the sea.
Vents and grills will be installed to keep the majority of fish from swimming into the system, and others will survive and be pumped back.
But EDF say around 44 tonnes of fish will be lost a year, which they argue is limited.
“The amount of fish taken has been agreed with the Environment Agency at 44 tonnes a year in total, which will have a negligible impact on fish numbers,” EDF said, in a statement..
“For context, the South-West port of Newlyn landed over 1700 tonnes of fish in July 2024 alone."
Plans for saltmarsh habitats
Originally, in proposals approved by the UK government, Hinkley C had planned to install an Acoustic Fish Deterrent (AFD), which would see “underwater sound projectors” play a constant loud noise to stop fish approaching.
But EDF have since said it was “unable” to install the acoustic fish deterrent, citing “engineering difficulties and health and safety risks to the divers who would need to maintain the system.”
Instead, bosses at EDF believe building saltmarsh land will create vital breeding grounds for animals, which will help to improve the biodiversity of the local area.
Andrew Cockcroft, Head of Stakeholder Relations at Hinkley Point C said:
“We have listened carefully to concerns and suggestions made during our consultation and are now exploring changes to our proposals.
“Hinkley Point C is one of Britain’s biggest acts in the fight against climate change and its operation will provide significant benefits for the environment.
“The development of saltmarsh habitat will boost this further - helping support fish populations and minimise the small environmental impact of operating the new power station.”
EDF initially proposed building the marsh on lands near Bridgwater but have since reversed plans following outcry from the local community.
The company has confirmed it is considering four other potential sites for saltmarshes on the Severn estuary – Kingston Seymour (between Clevedon and Weston-super-Mare), Littleton-upon-Severn (north of Bristol), Arlingham and Rodley (both near Gloucester).
A letter from South Gloucestershire Council
Farmers and land owners across the affected areas in Somerset and Gloucestershire have already urged EDF to drop the plan.
South Gloucestershire Council have criticised EDF’s proposals in a letter to the Secretary of State for Energy, Security & Net Zero, Ed Milliband, requesting he upholds the existing requirement to install an AFD.
Councillors Maggie Tyrrell and Ian Boulton, said in their letter: “We are writing to express our gravest concern regarding the scale of impact on the migratory fish populations of the Severn Estuary Special Area of Conservation (SAC) which will result from the massive water abstraction at Hinkley Point C of 120,000 litres of seawater a second for 60 years once the power station is operational.
“This impact would be made significantly worse by the proposed application for a change to the 2013 Development Consent Order to remove the required Acoustic Fish Deterrent (AFD).
“A Welsh Government report on the AFD cites evidence that removal of the AFD would capture at least 182 million fish per year, a significant proportion of which would be killed.
“Put simply, removing the AFD would cause critical levels of wildlife destruction.
“We fully support and are actively playing our part in delivering Net Zero objectives, however we cannot stand by and let this be at the expense of nature.
“Sacrificing the healthy ecology of our rivers and oceans would be counterproductive to our wider economy, society, and resilience to the local impacts of a changing climate."
They’re calling on the government to enforce planning requirements on EDF at Hinkley Point C.
EDF Energy said in a statement: “Hinkley Point C is the first power station in the area to have any fish protection measures in place – including a fish recovery and return system and low velocity water intakes.
“Power stations have been taking cooling water from the Bristol Channel for decades with no significant impact on the wider environment or fish populations.”