New hope for Dungeness power station
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by Dan Bloom
Dungeness may be put back on the Government’s list of new
nuclear sites after a campaign by new Folkestone and Hythe MP
Damian Collins.
The site was taken off a list of areas where new power stations
might be built by former energy secretary Ed Miliband in November,
prompting anger from Shepway District Council which argued the need
for local jobs.
But after a speech by Conservative Mr Collins in the House of
Commons this week, energy minister Charles Hendry said the decision
would be reconsidered.
The coalition Government is set to redraft the entire list,
which currently names 10 sites across the UK.
There are two nuclear power stations at Dungeness, owned by
French firm EDF. Dungeness A is being decommissioned while
Dungeness B is due to run until 2018.
If commissioned, a new Dungeness C station could be operational
by 2020.
Mr Collins said the decision to remove Dungeness from the list had
been taken because of an EU directive protecting the area’s
wildlife.
The power station is on the world’s second-largest shingle
peninsula - the largest is at Cape Canaveral in Florida - and is
home to rare wildlife.
But only one per cent of the protected area would be affected if
a new station was built, Mr Collins argued.
The MP said: “I obviously want Dungeness back on the list of
sites, maybe with caveats at the planning stage that a very
detailed plan for managing the local environment must be part of
the consideration for how that power station could be built.”
Mr Hendry said both sides of the argument would be considered
before putting Dungeness back on the list.
“We will certainly take account of the representations made by
Dungeness to be included in the list,” he said.
“But we will also give similar weight to the representations
from community groups in areas concerned about new
build.”
Thursday, June 24 2010
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