Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Costello for raising this important issue. I am taking this debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, who is on Government business.

The European Commission announced yesterday that is has found revised United Kingdom plans to subsidise the construction and operation of a new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset to be in line with EU state aid rules. During the investigation, the United Kingdom agreed to modify the terms of the project financing significantly. As a result, the Commission indicates that it has decided that the state aid provided will remain proportionate to the objective pursued, avoiding any undue distortions of competition in the Single Market.

The United Kingdom Government published its draft energy national policy statement in November 2009, which signalled its intention to construct ten new nuclear power stations at sites judged by it as potentially suitable. This was subsequently revised in October 2010 when the number of planned stations was reduced to eight. The first of these plants is planned for construction at Hinkley Point in Somerset, on the south-west coast of England.

It is Ireland's position that, where another state chooses either to develop a nuclear power industry or expand its existing nuclear power industry, this must always be done in accordance with the highest international standards on safety and environmental protection. Ireland's priority is the safety of the Irish people and the protection of our environment, including the shared marine environment of the Irish Sea.

Ireland has been recognised by the United Kingdom as a stakeholder in any consultation involving a nuclear development proposal. When the United Kingdom decided to embark on plans to build a new fleet of nuclear power stations, Ireland was one of the stakeholders involved as part of the national policy statement consultation.

Since the original announcement in 2009 of plans to build a new fleet of nuclear power stations, Ireland has written at ministerial level to the United Kingdom Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Mr. Edward Davey MP, outlining concerns about the potential environmental impacts in Ireland and in the Irish Sea. The key issues of concern include the assessments by the United Kingdom of effects on the environment, the management of radioactive waste and the rationale underpinning the proposed justification decision for new nuclear facilities. This engagement has been supported by a continuing dialogue at official level where Irish officials engage with relevant United Kingdom officials on a wide range of nuclear related matters.

It is the United Kingdom's position that Hinkley Point will have no transboundary effects during routine operations. Under the EURATOM treaty, the United Kingdom was required to satisfy the European Commission that the development at Hinkley Point would not result in the radioactive contamination of the water, soil or airspace of another member state. In that context, a Commission opinion, issued in February 2012, considered that in normal operating conditions, discharges of liquid and gaseous radioactive effluents were not likely to result in exposure of the population of another member state, which is significant from the point of view of health.

The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, RPII, which is now incorporated in to the Environmental Protection Agency, was asked by Government to prepare a report on the potential radiological implications for Ireland from the proposed new nuclear power plants in the United Kingdom, including Hinkley Point. This report, published on 20 May 2013, concluded that the threat to human health from this new building programme is very low. The report shows that any radioactive contamination in the air, either from day-to-day operation of the proposed nuclear power plants or accidental releases, would be transported away from Ireland most of the time. This conclusion arises from an analysis of weather conditions prevailing in Ireland and the United Kingdom over the past 21 years. The RPII report also shows that the routine operation of the proposed nuclear power plants will have no measurable radiological impact on Ireland or on the Irish marine environment. In the highly unlikely event of a severe accident occurring at one of the plants, combined with unfavourable atypical weather conditions prevailing at the time, the report finds that some food controls and agricultural protective actions would be necessary in Ireland for a period.

The Department of Environment, Community and Local Government will continue to utilise fully existing channels of communication with the United Kingdom authorities to ensure they are fully aware of any concerns that Ireland has in relation to their proposed nuclear new-build programme.

While the Commission announced its state aid decision yesterday, the decision itself has not yet been published. We will be reviewing it carefully as soon as it is available.

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