Sizewell C 'absolutely not inevitable' says campaigner

Sizewell C now has a nuclear site licence

A leading campaigner against the Sizewell C nuclear power station has said its construction is still not inevitable.

The planned energy plant, on the Suffolk coast, has just been granted its nuclear site licence.

But Alison Downes, director of campaign group Stop Sizewell C, has questioned whether the government will be able to attract enough private investment.

Ministers, who have already contributed £2.5bn to the project, have said they remain committed to the scheme.

The decision to grant Sizewell C a nuclear site licence on 7 May was described by the project team and local business groups as a "huge milestone".

It came just months after the government granted a Development Consent Order to Sizewell C and pledged further funding to the project. Ministers have regularly referred to Sizewell C when discussing the country's nuclear programme.

Andrew Bowie, Minister for Nuclear and Renewables, said: "Sizewell C will be the cornerstone of the UK's clean energy transition, supplying six million homes with green energy for decades."

But despite plenty of signs that the project could be coming closer to reality, Alison Downes insisted on BBC Politics East that "it's absolutely not inevitable".

"We still don't know who is going to pay for it. The government is trying to raise funds at the moment, but there's no guarantee it'll be successful," she said.

Alison Downes, of Stop Sizewell C, says the campaign group will "absolutely keep fighting"

The government agreed to take a 50% stake in the development of Sizewell C after concerns about the involvement of Chinese investors and it is looking for investors to help fund the project.

Can investors be found?

The official cost of Sizewell C has been put at £20bn by the government, but many observers expect the final bill to be much higher due to increased building costs.

The prime minister told me last year that there had already been "encouraging early interest" from people wanting to invest.

But campaigners have questioned who would want to invest in an expensive project which will take 12 years to build, with no guarantee of a return for many more years.

Ms Downes, who also has concerns about the safety of the site from rising sea levels and the project's impact on local habitats, said: "A lot of taxpayers' money has gone into a project that has no absolute certainty of whether or not it's going ahead."

The argument for nuclear

Richard Rout, deputy leader of Suffolk County Council, says Sizewell C now "has to happen"

But Richard Rout, the deputy leader of Suffolk County Council, told BBC Politics East that the demand for more homegrown green energy meant that Sizewell was essential.

"I think Sizewell C is now at a point where it has to happen. We need nuclear in this country to give us energy independence," he said.

"We are now seeing Sizewell C move forward and for me [the priority now] is about minimising the impacts on the local community and maximising the benefits."

But Alison Downes pledged to "absolutely keep fighting" .

A final decision on whether to go ahead with the project is expected to be taken by energy company EDF towards the end of 2024.