The coast line around Sizewell is very dynamic. At present, coastal erosion in the Dunwich area produces a lot of sediment that is moved south by longshore drift.
This sediment protects the coast south of Dunwich from erosion forming a number of offshore sandbanks as well as maintaining the beach.
It is claimed that the coast around the Sizewell plants can be managed in the case of increased erosion. Even if this is possible, then it is likely to have serious consequences for the areas south of the plant such as Thorpeness and Aldeburgh.
It is not clear how much, if anything, the nuclear industry is going to pay towards maintaining sea defences along the coast.
“The Sizewell B nuclear plant has been built on the Suffolk coast, a site that has been earmarked for the construction of several more nuclear plants. However, Sizewell will certainly be affected by rising sea levels. Engineers say they can build concrete walls that will keep out the water throughout the working lives of these new plants. But that is not enough. Nuclear plants may operate for 50 years, but it could take hundreds of years to decommission them. By that time, who knows what sea-level rises and what kinds of inundations the country will be experiencing?”
Dr Colin Brown, director of engineering at the Institution of Mechanical Engineering
For more on this subject and storm surge effects see Response to the NPS for Energy Infrastructure in relation to Sizewell C nuclear power station (January 2011)
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