EDF poised to submit planning application for £20bn nuclear power plant

The French state-controlled company will submit a formal planning application to build a new £16bn nuclear power station at Sizewell in Suffolk soon. If approved, the new station, on the coast between Ipswich and Lowestoft, would include two new EPR reactors – identical to the Hinkley Point project in Somerset. Sizewell C, backed by CGN, a Chinese government company, would generate 7pc of UK electricity, enough for 6m UK homes. EDF hopes to file the application by the end of February. EDF has been working to address concerns about the suitability of the site, where an existing nuclear plant, Sizewell B, has been generating electricity for 25 years. Its low-lying coastal location has raised concerns about flood risks. At 79 acres the Sizewell site is smaller than the 111 acre site at Hinkley Point causing concerns about congestion during construction and the environmental impact. Sizewell is surrounded by protected marshland and bird habitats including RSPB Minsmere to the north.