A small group from Bristol East Greenpeace joined a couple of hundred other people at the march and rally in Bridgwater in Somerset to protest about the proposed plans by EDF to build a twin nuclear reactor at the Hinkley Point site. Some of the group went on to attended a 'die-in' at the gates of the existing reactors at Hinkley. On Monday (8th Oct) a mass trespass on the proposed site of Hinkley C is being planned. Activists aim to reclaim the land and sow wild flower seeds over the site which has been decimated despite the fact that full planning permission has yet to be granted.
It was noted with deep sadness that one of the leading campaigners against Hinkley C, Crispin Aubrey, died unexpectedly of a heart attack a week before the rally. He had been instrumental in planning the weekend and was due to speak at the rally. His family felt that he would have wanted the protest to go ahead. The Guardian published an obituary - read here.
In a week where the nuclear industry has been dogged by bad news it was good to see support from far and wide, though slightly smaller numbers than a similar event that was held two years ago in Bridgwater. Anti-nuclear groups were represented from Manchester, Wales, Cornwall and London. A number of people were dressed up in radiation suits and as yellow barrels of nuclear waste to make the point that the legacy issue surrounding nuclear is still far from sorted and we would have to store the waste for many generations to come.
On Wednesday (3rd Oct) The Guardian reported that the French nuclear engineers Areva and the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group have walked away from the Horizon Nuclear Power project to build two reactors at Wylfa, Anglesea. This follows the announcement last March when German utilities E.ON and RWE scrapped plans to build at Wylfa and at Oldbury in Gloucestershire. Nevertheless there are still two other interested groups from the US and Japan bidding for the project. See Guardian news report here.
Also on Wednesday it was reported that 3 councils in Cumbria have delayed their meeting until January on the burying of nuclear waste underground in the area. These key councils feel unable to commit to joining detailed investigation of possible sites without further guarantees of the right to withdraw. They also want alternative disposal methods to be considered. See Guardian blog here.
On Thursday a leaked draft EU report commissioned after the disaster at Fukushima stated that nuclear "stress tests" carried out at the European Union's 143 atomic reactors have exposed "hundreds" of problems which could need up to €25bn of investment in order to restore proper plant safety levels. See article in the Independent.
Governments and corporation seem intent on chasing the 'holy grail' of the cheapest (and most profitable) energy available, but whatever options you look at there is no such thing. The future effects on the environment has to be factored in to all decisions, but this does not seem to be happening.
An ITV news report and video generated by the event can be seen here.
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