Hinkley Point C: Application to vary the marine licence ref L/2013/00178/6
In 2013 Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Station was granted a Development Consent Order (DCO) by the Secretary of State for Department of Energy and Climate Change.
Documents
Details
Case Details
In 2013 Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Station was granted a Development Consent Order (DCO) by the Secretary of State for Department of Energy and Climate Change. Subsequently, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) granted a marine licence (ref L/2013/00178/6) on 7 June 2013 for activities within the DCO for which the MMO are the regulatory and enforcement body. These are those activities which fall below Mean High Water Springs.
Between 2013 and 2020 there have been five variations to this marine licence. On 11 December 2020, MMO received a new variation request from the licence holder ‘EDF Energy PLC’. This request seeks to vary the construction methodology of activities below MHWS following confirmation of the detailed design. This includes;
- maintenance dredge volumes at the intake and outfall locations located approximately 1km-3km from HPC in Bridgewater Bay to be increased to 185,000m3;
- drilling of vertical shafts methodology updated;
- disposal of drill arisings methodology updated;
- installation of offshore intake/outfall heads methodology updated
- the inclusion of new temporary structures to support the construction of the cooling water infrastructure, including Handling Alignment Frames and Jack up Vessels; and
- an option for dredged material to be disposed of at the existing Portishead disposal site in the Bristol Channel
Disposal
Under the existing MMO licence ref L/2013/00178/6, there is no provision for disposal within waters for which the MMO has jurisdiction. This is because the Applicant had consent from Natural Resources Wales under marine licence reference 12/45/MLv1 to dispose of material to Cardiff Disposal Ground (site LU110). That consent expired in March 2019, therefore the Applicant seeks permission under this variation for the option to dispose of material to The Portishead Disposal Grounds in the Bristol Channel (site LU070).
On 29 July 2020 the MMO issued a marine licence to permit the Applicant to undertake a sediment sampling campaign at the location of the proposed cooling water infrastructure. Further information on this sample plan can be found on the public register quoting reference L/2020/00234.
Details of the analysis of these samples have been provided in support of the request to vary marine licence reference L/2013/00178/6.
Consultation
The MMO has engaged with the following bodies regarding the variation request:
ABP Mer
The Crown Estate
Environment Agency
Historic England
Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Society
Local Harbour Authority
Marine Management Organisation - South West office
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Ministry of Defence
Natural England
Natural Resources Wales
North Somerset Council
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Royal Yachting Association
Trinity House
Public consultation on the proposed variation ran from 12 February 2021 to 26 March 2021. All the consultation responses can be viewed via the public register quoting reference MLA/2012/00259/6.
Decision
The MMO has made a determination on the request to vary the marine licence L/2013/00178/6. The MMO has decided the accept the variation request and consent the dredge and disposal activity as part of the Hinkley Point C scheme of works. This decision was made following a robust consultation process and the evaluation of the best available evidence.
A link to the public register with the decision documents can be found on the Public register. Please search using reference MLA/2012/00259/6.
As England’s marine manager, we want to protect and develop our seas, coasts and communities for the benefit of generations to come.
Driven by government’s aim for clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas, MMO’s purpose is to protect and enhance our precious marine environment and support UK economic growth by enabling sustainable marine activities and development.
In this specific case, we are confident that our decision has been made in accordance with our obligations under both domestic and international requirements, standards and guidance