FINDING NEW SITES | SPECIAL REPORT
● Strengthen planning and infrastructure readiness by proactively engaging with regulators, planning bodies and network operators to identify and address potential planning, permitting, environmental, and infrastructure challenges early.
● Maximise nuclear’s economic and industrial legacy with clear plans including supply chain growth, skills development, community benefits and regional innovation.
Although the Siting Study does not assess economic viability, it sets out some fundamental requirements for any project that would have that viability, as well as being technically feasible and socially acceptable. The site and the project (including the technology) must be supported by committed, capable and well-funded organisations. Coordination and commitment between the developer, technology vendor, operator, investor, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company and other organisations is crucial. Add to that “secure political and community support” that is visible and co-ordinated, with strategic engagement with government and other stakeholders. It says regional organisations that are approached to support nuclear new-build proposals have to find out which proposals are serious and likely to progress, and which are less credible and could take longer or even block sites. The need for local support in the long term and
through changes of local and national government was demonstrated during a two-year effort to investigate a site in Theddlethorpe, Lincolnshire as a potential geological deep repository (GDR). The area, along with two others in northwest England,
was named as potentially geologically suitable in a 2023 strategic plan published by Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), GB’s recently restructured waste management organization,
and potential host communities had been approached in 2021. NWS planned to site this facility in England or Wales “with a willing host community and location that has a suitable geology to assure long-term safety and host the engineering structures required to build the facility”. The area saw investment of £1m (US$1.35m) annually,
which was set to rise to £2.5m (US$3.4m) when NWS passed a planned milestone to start deep sub-surface borehole investigations, planned in 2029. But by the start of this year one district council, East
Lindsey, had already pulled out of the process. In March this year Cllr Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said the council was also expected to pull out. As highlighted by the siting study, above, a switch from a brownfield to a greenfield site was a key change behind the council’s decision. The council statement said that initially, “the site earmarked for the development was an old gas terminal in Theddlethorpe – a brownfield site. Since then, the area that NWS is considering for the entry point to the GDF has shifted to open farmland, a couple of miles up the coast and further inland. This changes the very nature of the proposal and, understandably, raised further concerns within the local community”. He also highlighted the transport issue separately identified by the siting study. He said “Whilst we have tried to maintain an open mind towards the plans, we are now several years on from this first being suggested, and big questions still remain to be answered about the scale of the development and how this waste would get there.” Hill added that “the community is getting frustrated with
the uncertainty and slow pace of this process.” The council’s withdrawal was considered on 3 June, by which time, following council elections, the majority party had changed. However, a vote confirmed the council would withdraw from the process. ■
Exclusionary Criteria The features of a site that could exclude its potential as a developable site outright. This may vary determined by the particular technology under consideration, or other features that change over time and cannot be reasonably predicted. ● Demographics; ● Exclusionary military activities; ● Presence within an internationally designated ecological site; ● Size of site; ● Access to sources of cooling water.
Discretionary Criteria The features of a site where challenges could be presented but overcome through some compensatory
measure, investment or where there is precedent that suggest the scale of a challenge could be reduced. ● Flood risk; ● Coastal processes (as represented by coastal erosion); ● Proximity to hazardous facilities; ● Proximity to civil aircraft movements; ● Proximity to non-exclusionary military activities; ● Proximity to internationally designated ecological sites; ● Nationally designated ecological sites; ● Potential for negative effects on areas of amenity, cultural heritage and landscape value; ● Size of site to accommodate operations; ● Access to suitable sources of cooling water.
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