Nuclear energy is part of Dungeness’ heritage. It can and should be part of its future. Dungeness A and B nuclear power stations provided dependable livelihoods to people in Kent and dependable clean electricity to the whole country.
Sites that have previously hosted nuclear power stations are the best candidates for new reactors, because they have grid connections, community support and a skilled workforce living locally.
That’s why so many nuclear sites, like Dungeness, have ‘A and B’ or ‘1 and 2’ stations. At Hinkley Point and Sizewell, they’re now working on C stations.
With the Government pledging a new golden age of nuclear power, Dungeness should be right at the front of the queue.
This page outlines what needs to happen to secure new nuclear energy at Dungeness and responds to some frequently asked questions.
What’s the goal specifically?
We want a new reactor built on the best viable location within the Dungeness site. We’re not talking about switching any of the existing reactors back on.
The type of reactor is most likely to be one of the new generation starting to come online around the world, like the small modular reactor (SMR) type. Smaller reactors like this can be built significantly faster than "gigawatt-scale" projects like Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C
What do we need to do to make it happen?
Over recent years, the way sites for new nuclear power are decided on has changed. Rather than putting together a definitive list of sites, the Government, through Great British Energy - Nuclear, is open to proposals for new nuclear projects being brought to them.
If we can convince a nuclear developer of the potential at Dungeness and work together on a plan for the site, we can take it to the Government for approval.
Once a supplier and operator is identified, the biggest barrier is the planning and regulatory process we need to go through to get the approvals and permits required.
As you may know, past plans for additional nuclear reactors at Dungeness have been abandoned due to environmental restrictions and concerns about protecting nature nearby. More on this below.
Aren’t the environmental restrictions too difficult to overcome?
The Government is talking a big game on changing nuclear energy regulations to make it easier, cheaper and faster to build. We will be making the case that Dungeness is a chance to prove they’re serious.
The greatest challenges are Romney Marsh’s legal status within various protection and conservation areas, issues which have led some people to conclude that new nuclear at Dungeness is not possible due to its impact on this unique landscape.
But nobody cares more about protecting Romney Marsh than the local community, and they are overwhelmingly in favour of new nuclear power.
Ministers are saying repeatedly that they are rebalancing regulations to take into account nuclear power’s benefits to nature. It emits no carbon and uses far less land than other types of clean power. A new nuclear regulation bill was recently announced by the Government. This bill can bring into law the changes to regulation that overcome these barriers to new nuclear at Dungeness.
If done correctly, we see these changes as a win for clean power, local jobs and British nature.
Will a new reactor be British owned?
There are a few important distinctions between ownership of the site, ownership of the reactor technology and who operates the site.
While it is not currently clear who would lead on new nuclear in Dungeness, what anyone who has been on site at the construction of a nuclear power station will tell you is that it means lots and lots of contracts for all sorts of businesses involved in building it. A great many new British jobs in Kent and East-Sussex for British companies is absolutely guaranteed if a new reactor is built.
Britain hasn’t completed a new nuclear power station since 1995. Pipelines, supply chains, and expertise are now being built back up from a very low baseline. With this in mind, British ownership of everything including the site, the reactor design and the operating contract isn’t something that could happen as quickly as we want work at Dungeness to start.
So the British ownership issue is complicated, but we would definitely see a lot of well paid work for British companies and workers.
Are the proposed solar farms on Romney Marsh relevant?
We know that plans for solar farms are another bit of energy infrastructure being debated locally. A few people have asked us whether new nuclear at Dungeness could mean that those solar farm plans wouldn’t go ahead.
The Government’s approach to Net Zero doesn’t have a mechanism by which nuclear power on Romney Marsh could be established as the area’s contribution to clean energy and take solar power off the table.
For this campaign we’re focusing only on the goal of new nuclear at Dungeness.
What progress has been made so far?
We’re running a petition to display how much support there is for new nuclear at Dungeness among the locals and the public. You can sign it at the bottom of this page.
We’ve got the support of local MPs and the trade union GMB. If you want to get involved in the campaign, particularly if you live on Romney Marsh or run a local business, email us on [email protected]