Hinkley Point

The headland at Hinkley Point with the power stations visible in the background
Hinkley Point from the Quantock Hills

Hinkley Point is a headland on the Bristol Channel coast of Somerset, England, 5 miles (8 kilometres) north of Bridgwater and 5 mi (8 km) west of Burnham-on-Sea, close to the mouth of the River Parrett.

Hinkley Point adjoins the Bridgwater Bay (Site of Special Scientific Interest)[1] and nature reserve,[2] and is a popular location for birdwatching and fossil hunting. A visitor centre in the nearby town Bridgwater gives access to information, as well as running tours of the plant. There is also a nature trail which features plants, birds and butterflies.[3]

The exposed location of Hinkley Point meant that it was considered ideal for wind generation. However, a proposal to build 12 wind turbines close to the site of the nuclear power stations was turned down in October 2005.[4] The reason given by the local council for the rejection was safety fears over what would happen were a turbine blade to detach and hit "something or somebody".[4]

Nuclear power stations

The landscape of Hinkley Point is dominated by two nuclear power stations:

The Government has announced its support for a third nuclear power station at Hinkley Point. Electricité de France (EDF) plan to build a twin-unit European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) power station, called Hinkley Point C, subject to electricity pricing agreement with the government.[5][6] The new station, in conjunction with Sizewell C, could contribute 13% of UK electricity in the early 2020s.[5]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hinkley Point.
  1. ↑ "Bridgwater Bay SSSI". Natural England. Retrieved 2007-02-19.
  2. ↑ "Bridgwater Bay Natural Area". Natural England. Retrieved 2007-02-19.
  3. ↑ "Hinkley Point Nature Trail to reopen". British Energy. Retrieved 2007-02-19.
  4. 1 2 "Wind turbine farm plans rejected". BBC News. 2005-10-26. Retrieved 2007-02-19.
  5. 1 2 "New dawn for UK nculear power". WNN. 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  6. ↑ Declan Lynch (18 April 2013). "EdF still undecided about Hinkley Point C go-ahead". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 21 April 2013.

Coordinates: 51°12′29″N 3°07′45″W / 51.20806°N 3.12917°W / 51.20806; -3.12917

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