Sizewell C, near Leiston, to be held to account by council as construction takes major step forward despite criticism

Promises of holding Sizewell C to account have been made by Suffolk County Council (SCC) after construction of the nuclear station took a major step forward.

The promises came after this morning’s announcement that the nuclear power plant’s Development Consent Order (DCO) was officially triggered.

A DCO is the means through which projects, categorised as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), get permission to start construction.

The project, which is funded in large part by EDF, a French energy company, is expected to cost around £20bn and includes a £250m mitigations package for Suffolk communities.

Cllr Richard Rout, SCC’s cabinet member for finance and environment, said Suffolk County Council remained supportive of the project’s aims but that it would also make sure Suffolk would be adequately compensated.

He added: “Now that the project is officially under way, we will hold Sizewell C to account and make sure it meets its commitments to support local communities, mitigates its impact on them, and listens to ongoing concerns and issues from residents and businesses.

“We are looking forward to making the most of the economic opportunities for Suffolk which will come from this project, in particular our role co-ordinating skills and education to create opportunities locally.”

These mitigations include £23m earmarked for community projects, £12m to support tourism, £100m for the environment, and £12m boost to private housing.

Energy minister Andrew Bowie, who visited the site this morning, said this step was a major milestone in bringing down bills and bolstering the country’s energy security.

The station’s proposed two reactors are expected to generate enough electricity to power six million homes for 60 years, or around seven per cent of the country’s energy needs.

However, the project has seen strong opposition from Suffolk residents since it was first introduced, leading to the creation of several pressure groups.

Jenny Kirtley, chair of Together Against Sizewell C (TASC), condemned the decision, saying the construction would lead to permanent environmental damage to the East Suffolk coast.

She added: “Driven by nuclear ideology rather than practicality, the government is showing blatant disregard for the protected landscape of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and its environment.

“This heartbreaking decision to destroy the local area is even more galling as taxpayer money is funding the project.”

Cllr Tom Daly, the portfolio holder for energy and climate change at East Suffolk Council, also promised to make sure mitigations were properly allocated but still echoed the protester’s worries.

He said: “We believe that the huge amount of public money that’s going to be poured into Sizewell C could much better be used on real renewables — it’s not quick enough and it’s going down the wrong route.

“Going down the route of these massive nuclear power stations is only going to increase the amount of money people have to pay, with no effect on the climate crisis at all for at least 15 years.”