Hinkley C nuclear power station gets green light for preparations

Station of nuclear energy of Hinkley point. Preparatory work on the site of C Hinkley has given the go-ahead. Photography: Martin Argles the Guardian

The work is to begin at the site of the first nuclear power plant built in Britain for 20 years, despite fierce opposition from activists who say it will ruin the Somerset coast.

Officials have approved plans of Hinkley C to begin preparatory work and the developers of the site, EDF energy, said that the central will help Britain secure supply power and boost the local economy.

Anti-nuclear campaigners believe West Somerset District Council has been pressured by the Government to approve the site and villagers whose lives will be affected to say the project would change forever the area.

Crispin Aubrey, the campaign Stop Hinkley, argued that the work would leave a "devastated Páramo" and said that it was "inaccurate" to describe the work that EDF has given permission for such as "preparatory".

"The measurement of the activity, the removal of Hedges and trees, more vegetation, more than two million cubic meters of Earth and rock excavation, the change of route of groundwater flows, the creation of roads and roundabouts, major changes in the landscape... means indeed is the beginning of the construction of Hinkley C proposed nuclear power station"He said.

He stated that the "primary" to continue pressure had come from the Government and requested Councillors at a meeting of the Somerset District Council Planning Committee west: "are you willing to replace local concerns because the Government is based in"?

"The real purpose of this application is not significantly advance the time of the new plant, it is destroying everything that is valuable on the site so that when the main application for the central to the infrastructure planning Commission [IPC] will meet with less opposition."

"If the site is covered with concrete, then it will be much easier for the decision in their favour."

Nikki Clark, also of the campaign to Stop Hinkley, said had been made there is enough work to assess the risk of Hinkley C damaged due to rising sea levels.

"Course events in Fukushima nuclear sites are a timely reminder of the consequences of coastal floods", added.

A third group member, Helen Grant, told the meeting: "Nuclear was the flavor of the month before Fukishima." "Now the Governments around the world reeling in nuclear."

Opponents of the plan have pointed out that if the Government was cold on nuclear energy or EDF decided to withdraw from the project, the area would be "the largest in Europe bore".

However, not all local residents against the regime, and many feel that it will create jobs in an area that is much needed and has lived with nuclear power plants for more than 50 years.

David Rosser, the Southwest and the regional director for Wales of the Confederation of British industry, said: "We consider fundamental that we are able to guarantee a combination of secure energy and low carbon for United Kingdom in the decades to come."

Rupert Cox, Director Ejecutivo Somerset Chamber of Commerce, said: "is an opportunity for the local economy: thousands of jobs during construction, hundreds of millions of pounds for the local economy and the skills and training in Somerset and the many years of operation kickstart".

EDF will immediately present requests for various necessary permits to construct, Commission, operate and to unsubscribe the Hinkley C. present nuclear power station order of development consent: permission of total planning - this year's infrastructure planning Commission.

The company has promised to restore the site if the compilation does not continue. It says that it will create 500 jobs during the preparatory phase, and is plowing 25 million GBP in minimizing the impact of the work in the communities and the local environment.

He said the plant will be safe and will help to ensure the supply of energy in Great Britain.

The Chief Executive of federated, Vincent Rivaz, thanked the Councillors for granting work permits to proceed.

"Has taken an important decision that allows a project which is vital for the country," he said. "We are committed to listen to the community and to offer this investment in partnership with the people of Somerset".

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Do good Hinckley C: nuclear power station? | John Vidal

Hinkley to central nuclear, now because of low control room. Photography: Martin Argles the Guardian

This week company to State French EDF received permission to start the preconstruction "hinkley C", the third nuclear power station in Somerset in the Bristol Channel coast and is expected to be the first nuclear power station to be built in Britain in more than 20 years. This will involve the removal of more than 400 hectares of land and dig more soil and rock that was excavated for the Olympic Games in London.

Nuclear is considered by the Government to be a source of electricity, totally safe, cheap and predictable, ideal for working with less predictable wind energy to provide 80 per cent of electricity of low carbon Britain should generate by 2050 to meet its ambitious targets legal climate.

Hinckley is one of the eight sites now for a new generation of nuclear power plants. All are located next to the existing stations, which means that there is an available workforce and less opposition from local communities who have come to rely on nuclear power for the employment and income.

Hinckley (c) and a station of twins at Sizewell in Suffolk, if they must provide each around 1, 600MW of power of third-generation, twin-unit European pressurized reactor (EPR). Prototypes of these stations are under construction at Olkiluoto in Finland and Flammanville in France.

Both the French and Finnish prototype stations have doubled its price to around ￡ 6,000 each and are taking twice as much: six years: to build than expected. Hinckley c would be generating electricity 2018, but is now considered unlikely. No commercial nuclear power plant never has built in Great Britain in time or in its expenditure and city analysts do not think that EDF will be able to build cheaper nuclear power plants in Britain than in other places.

Nuclear critics argue that climate goals may be met with renewable energy sources and that of the nuclear costs have been distorted because the companies do not have to pay for insurance, or storage of the waste for thousands of years. In addition, they say that costs may increase even more due to the disaster of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan, which raises issues of safety in all nuclear power stations.

Nuclear advocates say that only nuclear can now provide the amount of energy needed for the next 40 years. But critics point to Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Japan, that have turned back at the source of much-disputed food.

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How the plans of Germany to succeed in a free, low-emission nuclear carbon economy

Germany has made some fundamental energy decisions in recent months, which are interesting to study and learn from other countries. The most "famous" decision has recently been phase out nuclear power over the next ten years. This movement is based on years of debate and a social decision Japan Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident away from nuclear energy.

There has been much less attention, however, about the staggering of other energy sources. Not there has been much focus on the way in which Germany can remain Europe's economic power and the second largest exporter to eliminate an important source of energy from the grid in the world.

This gradual story is vital to understand, especially taking into account that Germany plans to meet ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals while to stage nuclear energy. So how is this working?

The coalition that ruled Germany from 1998 to 2005, led by the Social Democrats and the Greens, launched a series of policies to expand renewable energy sources and gradually nuclear power. Last year the coalition Government new and current (a more conservative mix) decided on a new concept of energy which consisted of two main elements.

1. According to the phase of nuclear power, but in a slower time. So they decided to extend the duration of 17 German nuclear power plants for eight to twelve years.
2. According to an ambitious set of short- and long-term energy and climate change policy objectives including:

* a 40% reduction of emissions of GHG by 2020 along with a goal of 80 to 95% of longer term by 2050 (compared to 1990 levels),
* a massive expansion of renewable energy sources in all sectors, for example, an increase of renewable energy in the generation of energy from 17% in 2010 and 35% by 2020 and 80% by 2050
* a target to reduce the energy consumption in buildings by 2020 20% and 80% by 2050.
* A target to reduce the energy consumption in transport in 2020 10% and 25% by 2050.

However, after the nuclear accident in Japan Fukushima, there was a decision to return to the original removal of 2000 timetable, while maintaining rather than the goals of energy and climate change the Government had established the previous year. This approach was endorsed by a large majority, with 85 per cent of parliamentarians to vote in favour of a more rapid elimination and a series of measures (see below) in the gradual of clean energy.

Germany energy transition is based on three strategic criteria.

First, energy efficiency

Although efforts will focus on improving energy efficiency in all sectors, there is a strong emphasis in the construction sector. This is important because of its long-lived capital stock and renewal cycles long at Germany. In other words, Windows of opportunity to change the buildings that remain around decades do not see very regularly, by what you have to understand them when they do so. If you lose window in buildings energy efficiency measures will be more expensive or even impossible.

The approach is twofold. Firstly, is the European Union directive on the energy efficiency of buildings, which provides that all new buildings should consume energy almost zero from 2020 onwards. Germany should of course follow this regulation too. In addition, Germany has been rather than new incentive programs to support the renovation of the buildings. In addition to using revenues from the auction by the regime of emissions trading European ("cap and trade" system for Europe) programme of renewal, Germany has also all reductions of excise for the renovation of the buildings. Together 3.4 billion euros will be allocated to an energy lower consumption, building modernized in Germany sector.

Second, free energy of carbon in all sectors

To achieve the objective in the long term of decarbonization, all sectors must transform its base of fuel to carbon-free energy. In the electricity sector, the focus is on renewable energies, linked with the ambitious objectives indicated above. For some sectors, electricity and heating will play a role if produced by renewable sources of energy or low carbon emission.

In the transitional period will be probably built new plants of highly efficient and flexible gas as energy. New coal fired plants are highly unlikely. With the significant increase in renewable energy sources and the fact that there will be full of auction of emissions under the EU emissions trading scheme, the economy did not add.

Given the important role of the electricity for the decarbonization for many sectors, the early and rapid transition from the renewable energy sector is a key pillar of the transition of the energy system. As noted above, the new objectives of renewable energy are being implemented with regular reviews.

In the transport sector, Germany must implement the EU auto efficiency standards. In addition, Germany has launched a strong innovation program for electric mobility with the aim to have one million electric cars on the market in the year 2020 and six million in 2030. There are currently 42 million of traditional cars on the road.

Third strategic focus on long-term objectives

As noted above, the policy focuses on the reduction of emissions in sectors with the capital reserves of long life, for example, buildings and power plants. These sectors structured gas emissions of greenhouse effect and the demand for energy during long periods of time.

However, one must ensure that the infrastructure of this transition is in place. Therefore, Germany has launched a new legal process for the development of the "target 2050 network" which includes all put infrastructure in place and required settings for a system of dominated electricity from renewable energy sources.

This planning process creates based on the related licensing regulators related investments and offers certainty about the future of the grid. Efforts will be made by special to adjust and roll-out of the necessary infrastructure, including transmission networks that will transport wind energy in the northern regions of the country to the South, intelligent distribution networks that can manage large shares of electric cars and production of energy from decentralized sources, as well as sufficient information storage options to deal with large shares of variable energy sources.

This package of proposals is the basis for the confidence of Germany that can remove a source of energy and phase in renewable energy and energy efficiency. The combination of a combination of policies (emissions trading, rules, regulations, incentives) with the planning and investment in infrastructure in the long term is the way it has chosen to Germany.

While this mix will not necessarily be the same in each country, other countries can learn from the different parts of the German set for the transition to an economy of carbon economically strong and low.

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