Policy paper

Environment Agency's engagement plan for Sizewell C's environmental permits

Updated 28 March 2023

Applies to England

Sizewell C company (SZC Co), EDF’s new nuclear build company, applied for 3 environmental permits in June 2020 to operate a nuclear power station. They applied for them in the name of NNB Generation Company (SZC) Ltd.

This plan sets out how the Environment Agency is engaging with the public and stakeholders as it consults on environmental permits for Sizewell C from 2020 onwards.

1. Feedback on our approach

We published our approach in 2020 and regularly ask Sizewell stakeholders for their feedback. In March 2022 we met with Sizewell stakeholders to set out our draft plans for consultation on environmental permits. This plan has been updated following their feedback.

If you have any comments about our approach, please email them to nuclear@environment-agency.gov.uk.

2. Who may be interested

Members of the public and other stakeholders who:

• want to give the Environment Agency information that’s relevant to permit consultations
• live or work in Leiston and the surrounding towns and villages
• represent a ‘community’ they will share this information with
• are interested in the process for assessing permits for new nuclear power stations

3. Approach to engaging

It will always remain the responsibility of the regulator to make decisions about the permits. However, we want our decisions to be better informed through good engagement. We want to understand peoples’ comments and views. Where relevant we can use these to help inform our assessments of the permits.

3.1 Permits to operate a nuclear power station

We will make decisions on the operational permit applications after 2 rounds of consultations.

From July to October 2020, we asked for comments on the permit applications.

From July to September 2022 we consulted on our proposed decisions and draft permits.

We published our final decision and permits in March 2023 after carefully considering comments from the consultation.

3.2 Permits for site investigations, construction and associated developments

We will also have a period of consultation on these permit applications.

We will not make a final decision until we have carefully considered the comments from the consultation.

Construction site activities and associated developments (such as worker accommodation) are not unique to nuclear developments and are time limited, so we are processing the permit applications as we would for any construction site. This is a proportionate approach that will help us exercise the best regulatory control on rapidly changing construction activities.

4. Engagement aims

Our aim is to strengthen trust and confidence in us as regulators and to make sure:

• our stakeholders understand our role in nuclear regulation and specifically new-build – what we do and what we do not do
• we understand stakeholder views so that we can use them to inform our assessments
• we reach a wide range of stakeholders at appropriate times
• our stakeholders understand how they can provide comments and views

5. Consultation objectives

We want to make sure stakeholders:

• understand how we assess and determine operational permits and what will happen at each stage (permit application and draft permit stages)
• understand how we assess and determine other environmental permits needed by a nuclear site developer
• understand how they can provide their views, what they can and cannot comment on and how we’ll use their input to inform our assessment
• have many opportunities to give us their views
• understand the conclusions of our assessments and why we have made our decisions
• help make our final decisions on the operational permits as robust as possible
• know more about how permitting fits into the bigger picture of nuclear power station development
• understand each regulator’s role, specifically around regulation of nuclear new build – what we do and what we do not do

6. Our stakeholders

We are engaging with and will consult:

• members of the public (including local interest and action groups) particularly those living near to the Leiston area
• elected representatives, including MPs
• local (county, district, town and parish) councils, especially those within a 25 mile radius of the proposed power station and other representative bodies near the site
• national non-government organisations (NGOs), campaign groups and environmental groups
• academics, scientists and consultants
• the nuclear industry, including potential developers and operators
• nuclear trade associations and professional institutions
• other government agencies
• other regulators

7. Preparing to consult

We carried out an equality impact assessment, focussing on the East Suffolk Council area, which is part of the county of Suffolk, in South East England.

We reviewed the government’s consultation principles.

We talk to local stakeholders about:

• their communities and the local environment
• events and meetings we can attend to talk about our work
• the best locations to hold our community drop-in events
• how they prefer to engage with us and receive information from us

8. How we engage and communicate during consultation

We will:

• publish information on the GOV.UK website, including a non-technical summary
• send some copies of the consultation documents to local libraries, information points and the local Environment Agency office
• share information through e-bulletins
• attend and speak at site stakeholder groups’ community meetings
• listen to NGO concerns at nuclear liaison fora, such as the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy NGO Engagement Forum
• carry out online public consultation on Citizen Space
• meet with representatives and groups near the proposed sites
• hold public drop-ins (unless public health guidance prevents this)
• hold online engagement events for local and national stakeholders
• work with journalists to share information in local and national media
• advertise the consultation in local newspapers and on posters at locations near the site
• use our social media accounts to raise awareness – Twitter and blogs
• share information through community channels and local advocates
• share information through SZC Co’s channels (for example their website and newsletter) where appropriate

You can read when and how we consult on environmental permits.

9. How to get involved

We will advertise future consultations that you can take part in.

You can also join our Sizewell regulator engagement forum. Email nuclear@environment-agency.go.uk to sign up.

We consulted on the proposed decision and draft permits in 2022. You can read information about this consultation in Sizewell C: environmental permits for a new nuclear power station.

10. Responding to stakeholders

We will:

• consider the responses we receive and any information arising from the consultation
• use these responses to inform our decisions where relevant
• publish a summary of responses on GOV.UK explaining how this input has informed our decisions
• publish our final decision documents on GOV.UK
• update stakeholders about stages of the consultation and our final decisions through our websites, e-bulletins, social media and news stories, and at events

11. Keep in touch

You can sign up to our e-bulletin. Email nuclear@environment-agency.gov.uk.