Latest news with #HinkleyPointC
Times
18-05-2025
- Science
- Times
Welcome to Britain's biggest building site. There's a ‘fish disco'
Two miles off the Somerset coast, a strange sound is playing. About 20 metres below the slate-grey surface of the Bristol Channel, a small device called a ceramic transducer blasts out a high-pitched acoustic beam at a frequency far higher than can be detected by the human ear. This machine — once disparaged by the former environment secretary Michael Gove as a 'fish disco' — is being tested to see if it can scare off the salmon, herring, shad, eel and sea trout that in six years' time will start being sucked in their millions into massive water inlets that have been built near by. Hinkley Point C nuclear power station is late and over budget. This is the biggest building site in Britain, possibly
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UK needs more nuclear to power AI, says Amazon boss
The UK needs more nuclear energy to power the data centres needed for artificial intelligence (AI), the boss of the world's largest cloud computing company has said. Amazon Web Services (AWS), which is part of the retail giant Amazon, plans to spend £8bn on new data centres in the UK over the next four years. A data centre is a warehouse filled with computers that remotely power services such as AI, data processing, and streaming, but a single one can use the same amount of energy as a small town. Matt Garman, chief executive of AWS, told the BBC nuclear is a "great solution" to data centres' energy needs as "an excellent source of zero carbon, 24/7 power". AWS is the single largest corporate buyer of renewable energy in the world and has funded more than 40 renewable solar and wind farm projects in the UK. The UK's 500 data centres currently consume 2.5% of all electricity in the UK, while Ireland's 80 hoover up 21% of the country's total power, with those numbers projected to hit 6% and 30% respectively by 2030. The body that runs the UK's power grid estimates that by 2050 data centres alone will use nearly as much energy as all industrial users consume today. In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Matt Garman said that future energy needs were central to AWS planning process. "It's something we plan many years out," he said. "We invest ahead. I think the world is going to have to build new technologies. I believe nuclear is a big part of that particularly as we look 10 years out." Amazon cuts hundreds of jobs in cloud business Trump calls Bezos as Amazon says no plan to show tariff price rises French company EDF is currently building a giant new nuclear plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset and a decision to build another one at Sizewell in Suffolk is pending. EDF's UK Chair Alex Chisholm unsurprisingly agrees with Mr Garman. "Why are data centre providers turning to nuclear? They will need a lot of energy, reliably," Mr Chisholm told the BBC. "Replication of Hinkley Point C, alongside the roll out of SMRs, can power Britain's digital economy." SMRs refers to small modular reactors which are the size of a football stadium as opposed to the size of a whole town, like Sizewell or Hinkley. Amazon is already partnering with SMR firms in Washington and Virginia to develop SMRs and would be a natural customer for Rolls Royce which is developing its own SMR designs here. A spokesperson for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero told the BBC that modular reactors "will play a particularly important roles in growing energy-hungry sectors like AI and we're shaking up the planning rules to make it easier to build nuclear power stations across the country" But this technology is many years away and new grid connections already take years to establish. Jess Ralston at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit said: "Investors can be waiting years for grid connections holding back growth." "Nuclear could be a way of supply data centre's power needs, but hardly any SMRs have been built anywhere in the world and traditional nuclear remains very expensive and takes a long time to build. So, it may be a while, if ever, for this to be a viable solution". AWS estimates that 52% of businesses are using AI in some way – with a new business adopting it at a rate of one a minute. Mr Garman said this is a good thing. "AI is one of the most transformative technologies since the internet. It's going to have a significant effect on almost every part of our lives." He said he understands why many are nervous. "With any technology that is sufficiently new or hard to understand, people are probably appropriately scared of it initially, until they better understand it so that initial response is not particularly surprising." He added that he "would caution against" international regulation. "The technology is moving at such a rate that I don't believe there's the knowledge of the folks that are building those regulations are going to be able to keep up. "I think the most likely case is that those regulations would accomplish the exact inverse thing they are trying to do." However, he admitted he thinks a lot about the responsibility of releasing AI into the world. "Anytime you're building that much of a transformational technology, its important to think about those controls and guardrails so that it can go towards the betterment of society not the detriment. "So absolutely. I think a ton about that, for sure."
Spectator
09-05-2025
- Business
- Spectator
What's taking Britain so long to build new nuclear power plants?
When Putin attacked Ukraine and sent global gas prices soaring, Boris Johnson set out a plan to make Britain energy secure. It included a target to quadruple the amount of power Britain gets from nuclear. Instead of one plant every decade (if you're lucky), Britain would start building a new plant every year just as we did in the 50s and 60s. This plan relied not only on building 'giga-scale' plants like Hinkley Point C (at £42 billion now the most expensive plant in the history of the world), but also new small modular reactors (SMRs) built off-site in factories and deployed in fleets. This should, at least in theory, be something Britain excels at. Our fleet of nuclear submarines are propelled by small nuclear reactors built in the Midlands by Rolls-Royce. And Rolls-Royce also happened to have developed a small modular reactor design for civil use too. What has traditionally put governments (and private utilities) off nuclear is the cost.
BBC News
07-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Hinkley Point C gives South West firms £5.3bn boost
Local firms get boost from Hinkley C construction 12 minutes ago Share Save Michelle Ruminski Somerset Political Reporter Reporting from Hinkley Point Share Save BBC One of two reactors being built at Hinkley Point C power station which is due to be operational by the end of the decade The energy firm EDF has revealed it has spent £5.3bn using South West companies to build the new Hinkley Point C power station in Somerset. This is one of a number of benefits outlined in the company's annual socio-economic report. Hinkley Point C Head of Social Impact, Andrew Cockcroft said Hinkley was "providing really significant benefits, long-term opportunities for people and businesses here in Somerset, and across the South West region as a whole". But as construction reaches its peak, with up to 15,000 workers expected on site, concerns have also been raised that more needs to be done to mitigate the impact of living near the biggest building site in Europe. Andrew Cockcroft from EDF said Hinkley Point C is "providing really significant benefits, long-term opportunities for people and businesses here in Somerset" The billions spent in the area range from local firms providing food to advanced engineering companies. But concerns have centred around the difficulty of other firms finding apprentices, parts for construction and problems on the roads in that part of Somerset. One councillor has also described the local rental market as "broken". But at Hinkley Point C (HPC), the new report shows some 5,000 people, a third of the people working on site, are from Somerset or the wider region. That is also the case for 70% of the 15,000 apprentices that are working at there. Grants totalling £17m have been awarded to local community projects like Bridgwater Carnival and Burnham BMX club. Andrew Cockcroft, Head of Stakeholder Relations and Social Impact at HPC said: "It's been an absolute priority for us as a project to invest locally." EDF has invested £24m into education and skilled provision, creating what they call "centres of excellence" in Bridgwater and Cannington, which have trained more than 14,000 people. Matt Tudor, vice principle of strategy and partnerships at Bridgwater & Taunton College said Hinkley being so close made it a "leader in nuclear education". Across Britain, 26,000 workers are now helping to build the new power station which EDF estimates has contributed £13.3bn to the British economy. Lee Berry, the director of Berry and Escott Engineering, said working with HPC has enabled his company to double in size One firm which has benefitted is Berry and Escott Engineering based in Bridgwater, which makes steel products for Hinkley. The company's director Lee Berry said: "To be part of the largest engineering project in Europe gives us the confidence to invest in our own company. The stability of work has allowed us to grow." The company has doubled in size from from 30 to 60 employees and now takes on three apprentices a year, instead of one. Mr Berry added: "Hinkley has put a spotlight on Somerset, so we're having conversations and dialogues with companies we would have never spoken with before." Letty Smith from Wedmore said the apprenticeship scheme at HPC has given her a job for life Seventy per cent of the apprentices at Hinkley are from the South West of England. One of them is 19-year-old Letty Smith from Wedmore who could see the Hinkley power station from her school bus-stop. She became an apprentice aged 16. Alongside her apprenticeship, she is studying for a degree in project controls at London Metropolitan College. She said: "Becoming an apprentice at such a young age was such a good idea, because I knew, as soon as I got into Hinkley, there are so many internal opportunities and promotions, and moves I can make, that will support my career for the rest of my life." Local challenges The BBC has spoken to some businesses, that have asked not to be named, who claim they are struggling to find apprentices, parts and land because they are all being snapped up by Hinkley Point C. Residents have also raised concerns about congestion on roads in and around the power station. Leigh Redman, the Labour councillor on Somerset Council for Bridgwater Central and North, has described the private rental housing market as "broken". He said that "EDF has bought some fantastic things to the area" which has been paid for by mitigation money from the firm, but that it had come with downsides. Bridgwater councillor Leigh Redman said the rental market in and around Hinkley Point C is "broken" "Bridgwater and surrounding towns and villages are suffering with the private rented sector being under capacity," he added. Councillor Redman said there are too many people working on site and not enough mitigations to remedy the impact on local communities. He said people who've lived in Bridgwater all their lives cannot rent or buy houses, as they are "overpowered by people with money, most of them happen to be Hinkley workers". Councillor Redman is calling on Somerset Council to "hold their (EDF's) feet to the fire" and negotiate a better deal for the people of Bridgwater and beyond. A Somerset Council spokesperson said the local authority is negotiating new mitigation measures with EDF to remedy the impact of having more workers on site In response, Andrew Cockcroft said: "We are very, very conscious of some of the impacts of such a large project on the community. He continued: "We are working on plans with Somerset Council to expand the amount of local accommodation we have, which will limit the impact on the local accommodation market." Mr Cockcroft also said EDF is reviewing parking facilities and working with the Somerset Chamber of Commerce and Somerset Council to develop strategies to mitigate impacts on local businesses. Somerset Council said EDF and the council are currently in talks regarding the revised forecast number of workers, which will form the basis of mitigation negotiations. A spokesperson said: "The Hinkley Point C project has bought many social and economic benefits to Somerset and whilst we welcome this investment in jobs and skills and the other positive benefits the project continues to offer Somerset." The statement went on to say that they are "committed to working with EDF to ensure appropriate mitigation measures" are in place. EDF estimates that Hinkley Point C will cost around £30bn and be operational towards the end of the decade. Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
The National
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Campaigner hits out at 'PR trick' nuclear energy poll of SNP members
Robin McAlpine, founder of pro-independence think tank Common Weal, has branded the polling a "PR trick based on deliberately withholding crucial information", claiming people who responded were not given "the basic facts". Polling for the campaign group Britain Remade, founded by a former energy adviser to Boris Johnson, found 52% of those who voted for the party in 2021 believe nuclear power should be included in Scotland's energy mix to meet the 2045 net zero target. Meanwhile, 57% of those who voted for the party in last year's general election felt the same way, the poll found. READ MORE: Nigel Farage says he 'doesn't want' NHS to be publicly funded A total of 56% of Scots thought nuclear power should be part of Scotland's clean energy mix to meet the targets, while 23% disagreed, and 21% said they did not know. Opinium surveyed 1000 Scottish adults between April 22 and 25. However, McAlpine argues those quizzed on the topic were not aware of key points as laid out in a blog post for pro-independence Common Weal Common Weal. He highlights the price of hydrogen electricity being cheaper than nuclear, as well as the hidden costs of building and decommissioning nuclear infrastructure. "Would SNP voters back nuclear if it was explained that it will cost them three times as much as renewables and then also cost nearly £5000 per household just to clean them up?" McAlpine told The National. READ MORE: Warning as 100,000 Scots face disruption and higher bills over meter switch off He further questioned: "Do people know that it is much cheaper to run a renewable system with battery storage for short-term load balancing and hydrogen storage for long term battery storage? Are they aware that you can't turn nuclear power on and off and that it has to run at full power all the time? So it can't balance renewables when the wind isn't blowing, it can only displace renewables from the grid. "The only conceivable purpose of nuclear in Britain is to power the south of England. Look at Fukushima, look at the power stations in Ukraine, how much risk do you want to take when you have absolutely no need to do it? "If people are told 'more expensive, much more dangerous, can't be switched up or down or turned off, costs an absolute fortune to decommission at the end', I think you'll find they answer differently." The SNP have argued nuclear power projects remain too expensive to be a viable alternative to renewable power. READ MORE: UK wants to build new nuclear plants in Scotland, Ed Miliband says Responding to the polling, SNP MSP Bill Kidd said: 'Our focus is delivering a just transition that supports communities and creates long-term economic opportunities to build a truly sustainable future. 'Nuclear remains one of the most costly forms of energy with projects like Hinkley Point C running billions over budget and years behind schedule. 'In contrast, Scotland's net zero transition is already delivering thousands of green jobs across energy, construction, innovation, and engineering. This number will continue to grow. 'Simply, renewables are cheaper to produce and develop, create more jobs, and are safer than nuclear as they don't leave behind radioactive waste that will be deadly for generations. 'While Labour funnels billions into slow, centralised projects, the SNP is focused on creating real, sustainable jobs in Scotland now.'
