It makes sense to reconsider costly and inefficient Sizewell C
SUGGESTED
Christopher Snowdon quoted in The Mail
Commenting on the news that the Sizewell C nuclear plant is under review, Andy Mayer, Chief Operating Officer and Energy Analyst at free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:
“Sizewell C is estimated to cost bill payers between £24-63bn1, take 13-17 years to build, and is based on a French technology platform that has already failed.2 It makes sense to reconsider.
“There are small modular reactor alternatives, which if proven and cost effective, and with the right reforms to planning and permitting, could be built much more quickly3, coming on stream before Sizewell.
“The only mystery is why the government is still pressing ahead with Hinkley Point C. It’s the same technology as Sizewell, but estimated to cost twice as much, with a higher probability of the faults now seen in sister plants in France, Finland, and China.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
Contact: media@iea.org.uk / 07763 365520
IEA spokespeople are available for comment and interview
1 https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/58-02/0174/ImpactAssessment.pdf (p13)
3 The Nuclear Industries Association suggested 5-7 years was possible on a panel in Birmingham this year
The mission of the Institute of Economic Affairs is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems. The IEA is a registered educational charity and independent of all political parties.
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