Hinkley Point C have announced their consultation process on their second attempt to remove fish protection measures. In case you wanted to take part in EDF’s consultation, this is a letter I had printed in West Somerset Free Press last week, which gives you the bigger picture:
I want to draw to your attention to a half page Public Notice in the West Somerset Free Press on 5th January 2024. This is EDF’s way of advertising a consultation on their decision to refuse to install Acoustic Fish Deterrents (AFDs) to divert migrating fish from the cooling water intake heads of Hinkley C. The four intake heads are located 3kms out in the Severn Estuary.
By doing this, EDF are flouting the Order of the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State for Defra, supported by the Environment Agency in October 2022. The order said it was imperative AFDs had to be used.
Important fish species such as shad (herring), Atlantic salmon, sea trout, eels and many other threatened fish species will be sucked into the cooling system and never reach their spawning grounds in the Rivers Parrett (Somerset Levels), Severn, Avon, Wye, and in Wales, the Rivers Usk, Ebbw, Rhymney, Taff and Ely. Without AFDs, many fish will never reach the mitigation projects that EDF is proposing.
If you would like to read the Planning Inspectorate and Defra Decision Document for the full implications of no AFDs, please email me kattwater@hotmail.com and I will email you a copy.
If you wish to access the Consultation online, and respond, go to, stophinkley.org and scroll down to ‘Latest News’, where you will find an article with instructions and the EDF link to their consultation.
I cannot understand why EDF don’t want to protect the fish.
Katy Attwater
Cowbridge
Wootton Courtenay 