Construction Site Permits for Sizewell C – 9th July to 6th August
The Environment Agency is responsible for regulating environmental protection at nuclear sites, ensuring that people and the environment are properly protected. Sizewell C Limited needs environmental permits from us to cover the work and the controls that it needs to put into place for construction, commissioning, operation and decommissioning of any new power station.
What’s happening now?
Sizewell C Limited has applied for two environmental permits for work on its construction site near Leiston in Suffolk.
Application reference number: EPR/GP3226SQ/A001
Regulated facility type: The application is to enable electricity generation on site during the construction phase of the Sizewell C.
Regulated facility address: Sizewell C Construction Site, Leiston, Suffolk, IP16 4UR
Application reference number: EPR/RP3820SH/A001
Regulated facility type: Water management zones and effluent treatment units serving construction water discharge activities at Sizewell C construction site.
Regulated facility address: Sizewell C Construction Site, Leiston, Suffolk, IP16 4UR
Public consultation
We launched two public consultations on 9 July 2024 about the content of the construction site permit applications and the supporting documents. The consultations will run until 6 August 2024.
What does the company want to do?
- Combustion activity permit: The company needs to operate static and mobile diesel generators at the construction site. The generators provide electricity to power tools and equipment needed for the construction of the power station. Mobile generators can be moved to different locations within the boundary of the permitted site, as required by the workforce.
- Construction water discharge activity permit: The company also needs to remove water from its construction site. This effluent includes rainfall running off the construction site and groundwater from excavations. The company is proposing 9 construction water discharge activities (WDAs) of trade effluent through 9 different discharge points. The receiving environments (Sizewell Foreshore, the North Sea, the Leiston Beck and surrounding tributaries) for each activity are provided in the application.
What permits are needed on a construction site?
Construction phase permitted activities may include:
- site investigation works such as drilling boreholes
- discharging construction trade effluents and/or site drainage to either ground or surface waters, or the sea
- taking water from the ground or a surface watercourse for use in construction
- combustion emissions from static and mobile diesel electricity generators
- dewatering from excavations – and associated discharges
- works affecting watercourses, rivers and flood defences
- waste management
Where appropriate, we will consult on the applications for these permits. We will make our decision once we have considered the comments we receive in the consultation.
Construction activities are not unique to nuclear developments and are time limited, so we will deal with these permit applications as we would for other types of construction sites. This is a proportionate approach that will help us exercise the best regulatory control on rapidly changing construction activities.
Operational permits
These applications are for construction site activities only. There is no impact on the limits already set in the operational permits.
Information about the consultation
The permits are for construction site activities. These consultations do not relate to the UK EPR™ design. They are not about the need for nuclear power, UK energy policy, the siting of nuclear power stations, nor the safety and security of the design.
We are hosting the consultations on our consultation website.
The company has submitted reports to support its applications. The reports and the application details are hosted on our consultation website in the ‘Related’ documents section at the bottom of each page. We have provided a summary in ‘About this consultation’. The company has also provided a ‘non technical summary’ as part of its application.
Public notices are published on GOV.UK
- Combustion activity permit application: EPR/GP3226SQ/A001
- Water discharge activity permit application: EPR/RP3820SH/A001
How to comment
Please send your comments on the documents by 6 August 2024.
Online: Combustion activity permit. Application number: EPR/GP3226SQ/A001
Email: Permit Support Centre
By post: Environment Agency, Regulated Industry/PSC Permitting Support, Quadrant 2, 99 Parkway Avenue, Sheffield, S9 4WF
Online: Construction water discharge activity permit. Application number: EPR/RP3820SH/A001
Email: Permit Support Centre Water Quality
By post: Environment Agency, IPS Water Quality Team, Quadrant 2, 99 Parkway Avenue Sheffield, S9 4WF
Please contact our Permitting and Support Centre on 03708 506 506 if you need printed versions of the documents.
The Environment Agency will normally put any comments it receives on the public register. This includes your name but not your personal contact details. Please tell us if you do not want your response to be public.
