There is no greener form of power than nuclear power. It emits less carbon and uses less space per megawatt than any other form of power. Yet rules designed to protect nature have made it far more expensive than it needs to be and put it at a competitive disadvantage when competing against dirtier and more land-hungry forms of power. This is the reason why Hinkley Point C, when finished, will be the most expensive nuclear power plant ever built on Earth. 

So, what’s that got to do with the price of fish? A lot, actually. The Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce, a group appointed by the PM to figure out how to get the UK’s extreme nuclear construction costs down, have published a scathing report. It is full of infuriating examples, but none more so than the lengths to which EDF were forced to go to protect a tiny number of fish.

Hinkley Point C’s ‘Fish Disco’ has become a symbol of the absurdity of Britain’s planning system. At a cost of £50 million, speakers will be installed to play jumbo-jet level noise to deter fish from entering the water intake pipe. EDF fought the requirement for years – they were concerned for the safety of divers employed to repair the speakers........

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