BAN - Bradwell Action Network

04/05/2025

Recent article in Town and Country Planning by Professors Andy Blowers and Stephen Thomas entitled The Nuclear Flawed Fantasy makes interesting reading.

28/04/2025

The Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group (BANNG) has urged the Government to end all interest in the Bradwell site for future nuclear power station development. In their response to the Government's National Policy Statement for Nuclear Energy, BANNG stated: "In the specific case of Bradwell, the site should be removed from further consideration on the grounds that it is unsuitable and unacceptable." The Bradwell site was considered "potentially suitable" for nuclear power by Chinese company CGN from 2015. However, a pre-application for development in 2020 was met with strong opposition from the Blackwater communities and councils. This led to CGN pausing its investigations and leaving the site. It has now been confirmed by the Government and industry that they no longer expect planning applications to be submitted. BANNG claims this confirms the end of the CGN Bradwell project. Despite this, the site is still considered to have potential for energy transmission and nuclear infrastructure.

BAN have also responded to the consultation demanding Bradwell is no longer considered for nuclear power, including SMR’s.

The Bradwell site was considered "potentially suitable" for nuclear power by Chinese company CGN from 2015.

26/04/2025

Bradwell, Heysham & Hartlepool

UK in talks to buy back nuclear sites from French firm EDF. “Discussions are continuing” between the two governments on the U.K. acquiring three sites, an official told POLITICO. The U.K. government is in talks with its French counterparts about purchasing back three nuclear sites from state-owned energy giant EDF, as Whitehall looks to take control of the upcoming expansion of nuclear power. U.K. ministers are discussing buying up Bradwell B, Heysham and Hartlepool, a French government official confirmed to POLITICO. “There have been discussions. For the moment, no decision has been taken and discussions are continuing,” the official said.

Politico 25th April 2025

“Discussions are continuing” between the two governments on the U.K. acquiring three sites, an official told POLITICO.

16/04/2025

Bradwell

Plans for China’s state-run nuclear company to develop and operate a proposed nuclear site in Essex will no longer go ahead, The Times can reveal amid renewed focus on Chinese involvement in Britain’s critical infrastructure. Bradwell B, the proposed nuclear power station, was earmarked for investment by China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) in 2015. CGN is the majority investor in the proposed development alongside French energy company EDF. But government and industry sources told The Times and Times Radio they no longer expected planning applications to be submitted by CGN for the site, and EDF will look to take back the lease from the Chinese firm at the earliest opportunity. The development comes as Jonathan Reynolds, the business and trade secretary, said Chinese firms would be looked at in “a different way” should they bid for involvement in British Steel. CGN holds a 66.5 per cent majority share in the Bradwell project and the site was said to be of key strategic importance to Beijing as it would use the Chinese-developed and designed Hualong One reactor — the first time it would be used in a developed country outside of China. The company, which has been sanctioned by the United States and was charged by the US Department of Justice with stealing nuclear secrets, was initially involved in three major nuclear projects in Britain — Sizewell C in Suffolk, Hinkley Point C in Somerset and Bradwell. But as relationships with Beijing soured, the government paid about £100 million to buy the firm out of Sizewell in 2022, and CGN halted its funding of Hinkley in 2023 and therefore its stake has been receding. In Bradwell CGN was due to operate as well as fund and develop the site, but government sources now say they do not expect the developers to submit a planning application. Warnings were raised by parliament’s security and intelligence committee in 2023 when a report on China’s influence and strategic aims in the UK characterised the plans for Bradwell B as “opening a direct channel from the UK nuclear enterprise to the Chinese state”. It is understood that while EDF owns the site, it leases it to CGN, but it expects to take the site back once an exit clause becomes available. It is not clear when that would be. Industry sources said the site was more likely to be used in the future to house small modular reactors (SMRs). The Times previously revealed that Sir Keir Starmer wanted a fleet of SMRs to be built across Britain alongside large power plants.

Times 15th April 2025

Sources no longer expect planning applications to be submitted by China General Nuclear Power Group for Bradwell B

18/03/2025

Bradwell and nuclear power features in this interesting article with local artist Angenita Teekens.

"Society needs better discussions, education and honesty around how, and for what reason, we use our nuclear understanding. Art plays a role."

19/12/2024

Andrew Blowers tackles this ongoing question in the December 2024 issue of Regional Life magazine

Will the legacy of nuclear power ever disappear from our coasts? 17 December 2024 Andrew Blowers tackles this ongoing question in the December 2024 issue of Regional Life magazine Back in the last century a fleet of nuclear power stations emerged, their bulky and threatening presence dominating peac...

27/10/2024

Now about to start its third year, Nature in our Neighbourhood will be kicking off again in October,
with a talk from Stephen Dewick about moths and butterflies. He has taken some splendid photos,
so it will be a good session.
In November we have Jonney Aldridge talking about local trees and the national initiatives to
protect trees from disease.
We will not be meeting in December but have a good line-up planned for the New Year Including
Malcolm Hardy on revitalising intertidal shorelines using nature-driven approaches, Steve Spicer,an
Essex Wildlife Warden, on the Danbury Ridge, and Chris Harris, an experienced birder, on birds.
The speakers all know their stuff and are able to talk about it engagingly.
Se please do think about coming along to the Village Hall, 7.30 on Wednesdays, either the 4 th or the
5 th Wednesday in the month.
We have a cuppa and a piece of home made cake over a chat after the session.
Timetable
30 th October: Stephen Dewick on moths and butterflies
27 th November: Jonney Aldridge on local trees and initiatives to protect them
December: no meeting
29 th January: Malcolm Hardy on Revitalising intertidal shorelines
26 th February: Steve Spicer, on Danbury Ridge
26 th March: tbc

17/08/2024

Nature in our Neighbourhood

Summer wildflower walk
We set off from Othona to walk along the sea wall on a hot Saturday in mid-August. There were 3 of us, led by Jonney.
The tide was in, the sea smelt fresh and salty, the sound of waves calming. We saw how the Othona lower field on the land side of the sea wall is now occupied by some substantial trees, where before it was bare. The marsh plants, like samphire, are still occupying the ground even though it is now dry. Yellow rattle is well embedded, alongside alexanders and sea beet. Walking along the sea wall, on the sea side, we found a lot of vigorous phragmites.
The land is dry, the grass brittle, so there was a conversation about fire breaks and the need to get rid of the thatching to reduce the risk– the dry grass left after the Environment Agency’s grass cutting between the sea wall and the boro’ d**e. The water in the d**e was high but the bird life sparse. There are vigorous wild roses, some with robins pincushions, black thorn and bramble.
We walked past the flax fields, where earlier in the year, the fields were perfectly bright blue. Around the edges of one field, we found pea legumes, grown for animal feed. Jonney recalled the path we walked along being lined by elms, now bare. The death of elms in and around Bradwell is still felt as a real loss to our environment. Field maples and oaks – some compensation - have been planted on either side of the path near the corner with the Othona road.
It was a lovely walk under a bright blue sky, with deep knowledge being shared through lively discussion.

Jonney and Kevin look at where the new ponds are going to go, on Othona land inside the sea wall.


Coming back from checking out the edges of the flax field, where they found pea legumes.


Jonney led the walk, gathering up bits of plastic we found along the way!


Elizabeth Bayliss
17th Aug 24

28/07/2024

📣Andy Blowers takes EDF to task over thier recent marketing attempts of Bradwell for SMR’s. And does a crackin good job of it - worth reading. Well done Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group - BANNG 👏

See our 9th July post for more on this story 👇

EDF makes false and misleading claims for Bradwell site 26 July 2024 Press Release – 16 July, 2024 EDF’s Claims for Bradwell site are false and misleading, says BANNG The Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group (BANNG) has rejected the claim made by the spokesperson of the French state-owned compan...

24/07/2024

The stop Sizewell C campaign has a plan, you can support them via the link

Sizewell C is in the new government's in-tray, but what to do? We understand that Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is hinting that the decision whether or not to go ahead with Sizewell C belongs to the Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, but the reality is they all need to hear why...

21/01/2024

Nimbist (a word I just made up) MP Theresa Coffey is at it again. However, a spokesman for National Grid said: “We have published an environmental study of Bradwell on our website, as part of the Norwich to Tilbury project, which found that the numerous highly protected and ecologically sensitive sites around Bradwell would require significantly more onshore infrastructure to bring the energy to where it is needed, than otherwise would be necessary.

"Alongside this, connecting Sea Link in to Bradwell would not reinforce the electricity network in the place where it is required. As a result, these options were not progressed.”

So there Theresa, keep your nose out of our business!

Suffolk Coastal MP Therese Coffey has called on National Grid to publish the reasons for refusing to use Bradwell for cables from offshore wind…

13/01/2024

Andy Blowers of BANNG comments on the governments new nuclear road map. ‘There is little encouragement in the Government’s latest plans for developers to look again at the Bradwell site. Indeed, the failed attempt by CGN, the opposition of Councils, stakeholders and the general population must all conspire to make Bradwell a most unappetising proposition.’

Bradwell – Falling Off the (Road)Map. 12 January 2024 Press Release – 12 January, 2024 Government’s New Civil Nuclear Roadmap effectively rules out Bradwell. Despite the Government’s recent re-announcement of a massive expansion of civil nuclear power, the Blackwater Against New Nuclear Grou...