Days after China General Nuclear (CGN) majority share owned Bradwell Power Generation Company Ltd (BPGC), despite local opposition and concerns, received an electricity generating license from Ofgem, the future of their Bradwell B development looks in doubt as the UK government limits CGN’s involvement in Sizewell C.
The Bradwell B plans are centred around the Chinese states ambitions to get it’s HPR1000 reactors built in Britain – a move that would give it a lot of credibility around the rest of the world. Bradwell B Action Network (BAN), a grass roots campaign group against the proposed development, have always felt that the plans were a security risk too far. Just 50 km from Westminster, the site, located on the beautiful Dengie Peninsular in Essex, is an internationally important area for wetland birds as well as the home to the remains of the historically important RAF Bradwell Bay WWII airfield.
Earlier this year, BAN secured 11,500 signatures to its gov.uk petition to get the development halted. It would seem, with the latest news on CGN restrictions and government concerns, that Christmas has come early for the Campaign group. It is difficult to see how the development can move forward when it is Chinese designed and was intended to be built and operated by the CGN majority owned BPGC Ltd.
BAN spokesperson Linda Gemmill said “Locally we could never understand why the government was effectively allowing the Chinese state to build its twin nuclear reactor in our backyard, to us it seemed shear madness and people were up in arms about it. Hopefully this project is now dead in the water and we can turn our attention to ensuring that this unique and precious area is removed from the government’s official list of potential nuclear sites.”
