British Energy owns eight potential sites including four in the south of England at Hinkley Point in Somerset, Dungeness in Kent, Bradwell in Essex and Sizewell in Suffolk; two further north at Hartlepool on Teesside and Heysham in Lancashire; and two in Scotland at Hunterston, North Ayrshire and Torness in East Lothian.
The UK-based nuclear power generator said that it will be responding to the consultation and assessing its sites against the published criteria with a view to nominating sites in due course.
Additionally, British Energy has secured transmission connection agreements with power network operator National Grid for each of the key sites it owns in the south of England at Hinkley, Dungeness, Bradwell and Sizewell, for grid access in the period from 2016 onwards.
Gareth Brett, head of British Energy’s new nuclear development team, said: The announcement is a further step forward to securing a future for nuclear power as part of a balanced energy policy in the UK. It provides clarity on the process to be followed for site selection which will in turn lead to a national policy statement for the siting of new nuclear power stations.
