The government face another embarrassing moment as the United Nations (UN) have asked the UK to suspend work on Hinkley Point. Recently, the government have had to make a U-turn on a major policy after breaking a manifesto promise without even realising this. Furthermore, the Conservatives are under investigation for election fraud by the Electoral Commission and have recently admitted they have no plan in place, in case we leave the EU with no deal.
French state controlled Energy won Hinkley Point C nuclear power station company EDF for £18 billion and is now under development in Somerset.
A statement from the UN
The UN Economic Committee for Europe (UNECE) has asked the UK government to suspend development of Hinkley Point. They are citing pending an environmental impact assessment. UNECE have recommended that the UK halt the development whilst they assess whether “a notification under the Espoo Convention” was necessary. According to the commission’s website says the Espoo Convention is to “assess the environmental impact of certain activities.”
Last year UNECE said that the UK had failed to discuss the impact of an incident at Hinkley on neighbouring country. The government are adamant that they have carried out all the necessary checks but it is the lack of communication with other nations that have caused UNECE to act in this way.
Any incident would have an adverse effect on any neighbouring country.
A statement for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said:
“The Environment Agency and Office for Nuclear Regulation have independently assessed the station design of Hinkley Point C for safety, security and environmental impact before granting approval.
The project will continue to be subject to robust regulation from these bodies and it will have no significant adverse effect on the environment of any other country.”
A lacklustre government
There was significant opposition to the deal from environmentalists, energy specialists and economists alike. The deal itself sells off possible valuable assets to France, who convinced China General Nuclear Power Corp.
to take 33.5% of the project, to help with the costs. The deal and the response to the UN underlines the government’s lacklustre approach to energy, inefficiency, and its boisterous attitude to global organisations. There is an essence of petulance from the government and shows a degree of unwillingness to work with global counterparts.
