Sea level rise ‘could threaten nuclear power station’ planned for UK, report claims

Rising sea levels and coastal erosion could pose a threat to two nuclear reactors planned to be built on the low-lying Suffolk coast, according to local councils and analysis by an independent environmental group.

East Suffolk Council and Suffolk County Council have already lodged various concerns about French company EDF Energy’s plans for the new facilities at Sizewell C, and a new analysis by experts at the Nuclear Consulting Group suggests planned sea defences may be inadequate in future climate change scenarios.

EDF is reportedly about to submit its official planning application for the project, and has been working with Chinese state-owned nuclear company CGN on the plans for Sizewell C, which could ultimately provide 7 per cent of the UK’s electricity.

The same two organisations are working together on the £22.5bn Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset, which has been hit by delays and rising costs.

The Nuclear Consulting Group’s paper, written by structural engineer, Nick Scarr, suggests the Suffolk coast where the Sizewell development is planned, is inherently “unstable”, and that due to erosion by the sea the site could become an island before the station reaches the end of its active life, thereby risking a serious accident.

Mr Scarr told the Climate News Network: “Any sailor, or lifeboat crew, knows that east coast banks need respect — they have dynamic patterns, and even the latest charts cannot be accurate for long.

“I was deeply concerned by EDF’s premise that there is micro-stability at the Sizewell site, which makes it suitable for new-build nuclear. It is true if you restrict analysis to recent historical data, but it is false if you look at longer-term data and evidence-based climate science predictions.

“Climate science not only tells us that storm surges have a higher median level to work from, but that they will also render the banks ineffective for mitigating wave power on the Sizewell foreshore (because of reduced friction, as the water depth is greater).”

Various scenarios indicate global sea level rise could be significant this century, with a major report for the United Nations suggesting that unless dramatic action is taken around the world to curb greenhouse gas emissions rapidly, sea levels could rise by more than two metres by 2100.

The same report said if greenhouse gas emissions are brought down in line with the terms of the Paris climate deal, then sea level rise could be as little as 26cm. However, in order to meet those targets, a similar reduction in CO2 emissions as caused by the coronavirus crisis would need to happen every year for the rest of this decade.

Mr Scarr added: “Note that Sizewell security needs to last at least from now to the year 2150. A shorter period than this, 1868-1992, shown in hydrographic charting, tells us clearly how unstable the offshore banks are over a longer time frame, and that is without sea level rise.”

EDF told the Climate News Network: “Sizewell is located within a stable part of the Suffolk coastline between two hard points and the offshore bank of sediment, the Dunwich-Sizewell bank. We have undertaken extensive studies of the coastline in developing our plans.

“The permanent sea defences would protect the power station from a 1 in 10,000-year storm event, including climate change and sea level rise.”

The publication of the report by the Nuclear Consulting Group comes as Suffolk residents have reportedly raised concerns about how they can examine and contest the planning application for the Sizewell power station amid the coronavirus lockdown.

The Independent has asked EDF for comment.