Nuclear powerIrish heritage groups sues U.K. over nuclear power plant
An Taisce, an Irish charity group promoting the preservation of Ireland’s heritage, is taking the British government to the High Court in London in December seeking a judicial review of the legality of British energy minister Ed Davey’s decision to approve the construction of a nuclear power plant just 150 miles from the Irish coast without consulting the Irish public.
An Taisce, an Irish charity group promoting the preservation of Ireland’s heritage, is taking the British government to the High Court in London in December seeking a judicial review of the legality of British energy minister Ed Davey’s decision to approve the construction of a nuclear power plant just 150 miles from the Irish coast without consulting the Irish public.
The Indepnendent.ie reports that the nuclear plant is the £14 billion ($22.6 billion) Hinkley Point C Plant in Somerset to be built by French energy company EDF, operator of eight of Britain’s existing nuclear power plants. “Despite the nuclear power plant being nearer to the coast of Ireland than it is to Leeds (a city in West Yorkshire, England), the U.K. decided not to consult with the Irish public about the decision before it granted consent in March,” An Taisce said in a statement. “The first time many Irish people learnt about the nuclear power plant proposal was when the decision was announced.”
The plant will produce 7 percent of Britain’s energy needs, but An Taisce claims the plant could have an adverse impact on Irish citizens’ lives if leaks or accidents occur. An Taisce argues that the construction of the nuclear plant does not comply with either the European Union’s Environmental Impact Assessment regulations or the U.K.’s regulation on trans-boundary impacts and consultation.
James Nix, spokesperson for An Taisce, said in a statement to the Sunday Independent, “This case is not about interfering with the right of the U.K. authorities to make their own decisions, nor about being pro- or anti-nuclear. It is about ensuring that the rights and interests of the Irish public and their concern for their environment are not excluded from those decisions, and that the Irish public is properly consulted in accordance with the law on a project of this nature.”
A UN committee will examine whether the proposed plant poses environmental threats to other European countries after concerns raised by green initiatives in several coountries. The European Commission is also set to decide whether the United Kingdom is allowed to offer nuclear power consortiums an agreed “strike price” for their service, which critics consider a subsidy which violates the EU’s antitrust laws.
The decision about Hinkley Point will set precedence for Poland, the Czech Republic, and other EU states planning to expand their nuclear power programs.
