Minister announces delay on Sizewell C planning decision

The government has pushed back the deadline for a decision by six weeks on whether to grant permission for EDF-backed plans to build a new nuclear power plant at Sizewell.

Paul Scully, a junior minister in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), announced the delay in a written statement to the House of Commons on Thursday (12 May).

The planning inspectorate, which handles applications for nationally significant infrastructure projects, submitted its recommendation on the whether to grant a development consent order for Sizewell C in late February.

Under the 2008 Planning Act, the BEIS secretary of state is required to make a decision on an application within three months of receiving the report of the examining authority. But a new deadline can be set with an announcement in Parliament.

Scully announced that the new deadline for deciding the application will instead be 8 July.

The statement said the extra time is designed to “ensure there is sufficient time to fully consider further information provided by the applicant and interested parties in response to the secretary of state’s post-examination consultation.”

The new two-reactor power station is being proposed for land directly to the north of the existing Sizewell B plant, near Leiston in Suffolk.

The government has recently committed £100 million worth of financial backing to Sizewell C to help get the project off the ground.

Responding to Scully’s announcement, GMB national officer Charlotte Childs said: “Sizewell C is essential for meeting our energy challenges. We need spades in the ground to keep the lights on and the production lines moving in the medium to long-term.

“The government must complete its assessment as quickly as possible. The UK’s nuclear programme has been delayed too many times due to political decisions, and we need confirmation for this essential project.

“Thousands of highly-skilled workers are currently building Hinkley Point C or supplying components through its supply chain. There is a real risk that those jobs will be lost if there isn’t a programme of work.

“This project is essential for jobs and skills and hitting our environmental targets – we need to be clear that there can be no net zero without new nuclear.”