Hinkley Point Expansion Matter Of 'High Politics' Not Serving Wales' Interests- Politician

Plans of UK's energy company EDF to dredge and deposit potentially contaminated mud into Cardiff Bay to make room to expand Hinkley Point nuclear power facilities in Somerset constitute "high politics" rather than sound environmental sense, Neil McEvoy, a member of the National Assembly for Wales, told Sputnik.

LONDON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th September, 2018) Plans of UK's energy company EDF to dredge and deposit potentially contaminated mud into Cardiff Bay to make room to expand Hinkley Point nuclear power facilities in Somerset constitute "high politics" rather than sound environmental sense, Neil McEvoy, a member of the National Assembly for Wales, told Sputnik.

"Basically this is high politics. It's a 40 billion pound [$52 billion] deal between the Chinese government and the UK government and come hell or high water they're going to dump it. We're looking for a judge to insist we get some kind of fair play, really ... [but] what is happening is outrageous," McEvoy said.

The politician also accused the Welsh government of putting business interests higher than the interests of the population and the environment.

"Our Welsh government has completely sold out all of Wales and not only that but the people of England as well. The mud will be washed around all of Wales. It's absolutely incredible. This is big business riding roughshod over our communities," McEvoy stressed.

Earlier this week, EDF confirmed it had started to dump mud from the Hinkley Point nuclear power station in the Severn Estuary off Cardiff.

A series of protests have already taken place against the planned operation, with campaigners demanding that Natural Resources Wales - who have approved the scheme - to suspend their license. August 27 saw hundreds of people assembling outside the Senedd - itself the home of the National Assembly - calling for government intervention.

EDF, however, had previously stressed their testing procedures were adequate and scientifically credible, claiming the mud relocation involves material "no different" than that already present around Cardiff.

Hinkley Point A ceased generating electricity in 2000, with Point B having been operational since 1976. EDF claim they need to dredge mud from the proposed site of Point C to drill six vertical shafts for a future coolant system, a project also sponsored by the China General Nuclear Power Group.

EDF was contacted by Sputnik but refused to comment on Mr McEvoy's concerns.