'Nothing prepared us for Sizewell C devastation'

Groundwork for a new nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast is well under way, but the funding needed to build it has still not been agreed.

Sizewell C said it was confident a final investment decision on the station would be made this summer.

Meanwhile, the cost of its sister project, Hinkley Point C in Somerset, has risen to as high as £46bn.

Opponents have likened Sizewell C to the beleaguered HS2 rail project and said the government should pull out before it is too late.

So what is the state of play?

In east Suffolk, signs of development are hard to miss.

Thousands of trees have been felled, and a huge swathe of land stretching from the outskirts of Leiston to the coast have been cleared for a new construction compound and access road to the Sizewell C site.

Elsewhere, land is being dug up for a new link road off the A12, a new bypass around the villages of Stratford St Andrew and Farnham, and two park-and-ride sites at Wickham Market and Darsham.

The groundwork started a year ago.

The twin reactors would generate 3.2 GW of electricity, sufficient to power six million homes.

So far the UK government, which has an 85% stake in the project, has pledged £5.5bn towards development work.

Last month, EDF denied reports that the total cost of the project had risen to over £40bn, up from an estimated £20bn in 2018.

It is seeking investors and the government said a final investment decision would be made in June.

David Grant's farm at Middleton, near Leiston, has been cut in two by the new Sizewell link road and an access road to the B1122.

He said he had lost 38 acres (15 hectares) of arable land.

"Nothing prepared us for the devastation caused," he said.

"It's all gone, dug out with machines completely ruthlessly and without any sympathy.

"I think this is HS2, but bigger, frankly.

"I've got friends who were involved in the HS2 cancellation and they haven't even been able to repurchase their land. Luckily we have the option to repurchase if this doesn't go ahead."

Opponents of Sizewell C still argue the project should be scrapped before it is too late.

Alison Downes, from Stop Sizewell C, said: "The taxpayer is being forced to pay for what is basically a bet that this project is a good idea and should go ahead.

"The possibility that Sizewell C could go ahead at whatever price is just completely inconceivable.

"Every penny they spend on Sizewell C is a penny lost to cheaper, quicker renewable energy projects that could get us to net zero more quickly and address our climate crisis."

EDF said it was confident about the cost of building Sizewell C and that there was no comparison with HS2.

Julia Pyke, joint managing director of Sizewell C, said: "We're not going to give a cost estimate for Sizewell C because we are in the middle of negotiations both with suppliers on the one hand, and with investors on the other hand.

"It's nothing like HS2. We are building a copy of something that has gone through UK design approvals.

"We are starting off with an approved design, an experienced supply chain and an experienced workforce."

Nigel Cann, also joint managing director of Sizewell C, said groundwork away from the nuclear site was a priority.

"The important thing for us is to get the offsite infrastructure for roads and rail done as quickly as possible so that we minimise the disruption to the local community," he said.

"We're also starting to build the sea defence. We expect to start building the big wall around the deep excavation for the reactors in September this year."

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