EDF is poised to submit a planning application for a large nuclear power station on England's east coast despite opponents' complaints that Britain's coronavirus lockdown will hamper proper scrutiny of the project.
Suffolk residents have raised concerns about how they can examine and contest the application for the Sizewell C plant after government scientific advisers warned that disruptive social distancing measures would probably be in place all year.
The French utility has been working with Chinese state-owned nuclear company CGN on the plans for Sizewell, which could provide 7 per cent of the UK's electricity.
The two companies are already constructing Hinkley Point C in Somerset, the UK's first new nuclear plant in three decades, but the project has been hit by cost overruns and delays. EDF warned last year that Hinkley's completion could cost an extra £2.9bn, taking the total to £22.5bn.
Alison Downes, a Suffolk resident who represents campaign group Stop Sizewell C, said submitting the application during the Covid-19 pandemic would "escalate anxiety at a time when people have got a huge amount of others things to be anxious about".
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