Sellafield site submitted for nuclear new build

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has submitted land at Sellafield in Cumbria to the Government as a site for potential nuclear new build.

The NDA submitted the nomination yesterday, 31 March, in time to meet the Department of Environment and Climate Change's strategic sites assessment deadline.

Sellafield is a 250 hectare site just north of the existing Sellafield plant and has been prepared by the nuclear new build nomination team, which is led by urban regeneration company West Lakes Renaissance.

The Department of Environment and Climate Change will make the details of the nomination public on 15 April and there will be several opportunities for the public to comment throughout the rest of the year.

The Government will finally decide on which sites in the UK are appropriate for possible nuclear development early next year.

Rosie Mathisen, energy opportunities director at West Lakes Renaissance, said: "We are only at the start of a very long journey and it could be more than a decade before any new power station is built. Now the hard work will begin to firm up the case for new build and ensure the public are briefed and consulted."

More than 300 people recently attended a meeting held at Whitehaven Civic Hall to give communities and businesses a chance to learn more about the nomination process.

Nuclear new build is a key component of the Britain's Energy Coast Masterplan, which aims to establish West Cumbria as a major national hub for low carbon and renewable energy generation.