The environment

Protecting the environment is very important and we are committed to minimising the environmental impact of everything we do – especially when developing a new power station.

We recognise that the need for greater low carbon generation is not the only issue for communities around new nuclear power stations. Local communities require that nuclear power stations are operated to the highest safety standards and RWE already achieves this at its existing stations.

Any company seeking planning consent to build a large power station must thoroughly investigate the possible effects of its proposals on the environment. This includes carefully assessing, monitoring and then managing the site’s environmental impact.

We are committed to conducting the construction and operation of our power plants in a considerate and environmentally sustainable way and we work closely with local communities and all relevant authorities to achieve this goal.

In its 2008 White Paper on nuclear power, the Government concluded that: “The environmental impact of new nuclear power stations would not be significantly different to those of other forms of electricity generation and that they are manageable given the requirements in place in the UK and Europe to assess and mitigate the impacts.”

In addition to the construction and management of nuclear power stations, their eventual decommissioning and management of any waste created are extremely important environmental issues. The Government has clearly stated that investors in new nuclear power stations must meet the full costs of decommissioning and any waste management once a station has ceased operating. We support this conclusion and will fully investigate any environmental impacts which could stem from waste management or decommissioning.