Sizewell C campaigners hold peaceful demonstration as government minister Andrew Bowie visits

Two campaign groups opposed to the building of a nuclear power plant near the Suffolk coast are to hold a peaceful protest this morning.

Stop Sizewell C and Together Against Sizewell C will be demonstrating at the site entrance from 8.45am to 9.30am.

Energy minister Andrew Bowie is visiting to prompt a Development Consent Order (DCO) which campaigners say will take the project to the next step.

Alison Downes, executive director of the Stop Sizewell campaign, said: “We feel that doing so is completely inappropriate given that there are still very serious questions about how the project is going to be paid for.

“This isn’t the final go ahead for the project – the final investment decision is still some months away by the Government’s own admission.

“Also the last time minister Bowie came to Suffolk in May 2023 he promised he would come back within two months before the summer recess to widely and substantially and inclusively engage with affected communities and he only met a handful of people on that occasion.

“I don’t think he appreciated that communities as far as Nacton and Lowestoft are going to be affected.

“We want to make it clear our campaign is not over.”

The campaign groups are to have a meeting with the minister later in the morning to ask about financing, the environmental impact as well as outstanding issues such as coastal defences and water supply.

On the work that has been done, Alison added: “The site has already been cleared. We were promised last January that if there were works on site it would be reversible well hundreds if not thousands of trees have been cut down since September and we don’t regard that as reversible.

“We feel that without knowing that the money is going to be raised and that this project has got a hope of being delivered on time and on budget then that is environmental damage that is holy premature.”