EdF proposes to maintain and increase massive fish-kill at nuclear cooling water intake
FOR our Formal Response, click on the Button above
FOR our Formal Response, click on the Button above
Protected species of Twaite shad, lamprey and eels are threatened by Hinkley Point’s nuclear cooling water intake, among the 500 000 shrimps and sprats sucked in daily, with half killed off.
This issue features in the Sunday Times of 21 July. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/
Friends of the Earth, Barry&Vale group support the objections of marine conservation and fishing interests to the company’s application. The law requires best endeavours to avoid killing any of the protected species.
NNB Genco propose not to use an acoustic deterrent system, saying it’s inefficient for eels and lampreys. We argue (as does an ex-EA staff member who worked on HP regulation) this means NNB Genco have to develop enhanced acoustic systems or some other method for avoiding fish-kill.
We emphasise species that have protected status under the Habitats and Species regulations – eels, lampreys and Twaite shad. These are also designated species for the Severn estuary ‘Special Area of Conservation’.
NNB Genco’s case is unacceptable. They use 10-year old sampling in which eels and lampreys were crushed within around a million sprats and shrimps, giving quite unreliable estimates. Second, the design speed of the flow (0.3metres/sec) is several times higher than low-speed intake as might enable swimming away. Third they propose to use a larger than optimum 5-mm mesh, which would stop Twait shad but damage juvenile lampreys and elvers.
The protected status requires that intake systems are designed to avoid harming lampreys and eels/elvers to the maximum possible. Far from trying to meet this requirement, the company and Env Agency are even accepting a large mesh size (5mm) that is contrary to the Eels Regulations.
We are concerned that the Welsh government have not responded to the consultation, though they are directly responsible to the Welsh side of the Severn Estuary SAC and Welsh fish stocks and protected species are under threat.
Background NNBGenco has applied to omit an acoustic fish deterrent system from the intake, so the English Environment Agency are 'consulting' over allowing this, rather than forcing them to develop a suitable deterrent and exclusion system.
Friends of the Earth, Barry&Vale group are the nearest Welsh FOE group to Hinkley Point. We campaigned against the dumping of nuclear mud in the Severn Estuary SAC, near Penarth last year. The 200 000tonnes of mud was excavated in order to build the huge cooling water intakes – which will suck up to 250 000 fish to their deaths each day (Sunday Times article).
How to object: documents and objection letters can be viewed at http://ow.ly/TWYh30nVm6q.
