Deadline day for Sizewell C plans to go to the government
The Planning Inspectorate is putting together a report into whether the controversial nuclear plant should be built
Last updated 25th Feb 2022
Today is deadline day for planning inspectors as they weight up whether to tell the government whether it should allow the Sizewell C nuclear power station to be built.
The Planning Inspectorate will give its recommendation to ministers today after around two years considering the proposals for a new power station on the Suffolk coast.
It's expected the project, which is being led by EDF, will cost around £20bn to complete.
We won't know whether its been given the go ahead for several months.
Last month the government committed over £100m towards a third reactor, in a bid to encourage private investors to get involved.
If built, Sizewell C could create over 10,000 jobs in the Suffolk area and power nearly six million homes in the UK.
However local campaigners fear it will cost too much and do too much damage to the environment and habitats on the Suffolk coast.
Paul Collins, Chair of local campaign group Stop Sizewell C said: "We hope the Planning Inspectorate's recommendation on Sizewell C's planning consent is a resounding "no"."
"It's the wrong project in the wrong place and deserves to fail because of the multitude of outstanding issues and the very serious impacts on the area.
"EDF is only now applying for planning permission to conduct soil mixing and ground anchor trials, work that is absolutely critical to determining if the Sizewell C site can be prevented from collapsing during construction.
"Not only is it astonishing that these trials have not yet been done, the results won't be known for at least six months. How could the Secretary of State even consider approving Sizewell C's planning application without this vital information?"
If built, Sizewell C would be the next chapter for nuclear power in Suffolk.
The concrete clad Sizewell A was in operation from the late 1960s until it was decommissioned in 2006.
The domed Sizewell B reactor was completed in 1995 and could remain in operation until 2055.