The Anonymous Widower

Chinese firm ‘Will Not Bid’ To Run Essex Nuclear Plant

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.

This is the sub-heading.

Sources no longer expect planning applications to be submitted by China General Nuclear Power Group for Bradwell B

These three paragraphs give brief details of the current situation.

Plans for China’s state-run nuclear company to develop and operate a proposed nuclear site in Essex will no longer go ahead, The Times can reveal amid renewed focus on Chinese involvement in Britain’s critical infrastructure.

Bradwell B, the proposed nuclear power station, was earmarked for investment by China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) in 2015. CGN is the majority investor in the proposed development alongside French energy company EDF.

But government and industry sources told The Times and Times Radio they no longer expected planning applications to be submitted by CGN for the site, and EDF will look to take back the lease from the Chinese firm at the earliest opportunity.

So what will happen to the Bradwell Site?

This Google Map shows the Blackwater Estuary to the North of Southend.

Note.

1. The Blackwater Estuary is at the top of the map.
2. Bradwell Marina and Bradwell-on-Sea can be seen on the map to the South of the Blackwater Estuary.
3. Southminster has a rail connection, which was used to handle the nuclear fuel and now has a passenger service to Wickford on the Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street Line.

This second Google Map shows Bradwell-on-Sea and the North of the peninsular in greater detail.

Note.

1. The remains of the three runways of the Second World War RAF Bradwell Bay can be picked out.
2. The remains of Bradwell A nuclear power station are towards  the coast to the North-West of the former runways.
3. It is large site.

I wonder, if the site could be used for backup to all the offshore wind farms in the area.

This is a list of all the wind farms, that are planned in the sea to the North and East of the Bradwell site.

• The East Anglia Array is partly operational, but could grow to as much as 7.2 GW.
• Greater Gabbard is 504 MW
• Gunfleet Sands is 172 MW
• London Array is 630 MW
• North Falls is 504 MW

Note.

1. That is a total of roughly 9 GW.
2. There’s also plenty of space in the sea for more turbines.

All these wind turbines will need backup for when the wind goes on strike.

These are possibilities for backup.

Another Hinckley Point C Or Sizewell C

You can see why the government wants to build a big nuke on the Bradwell site.

The 3.26 GW of  a power station, which would be the size of Hinckley Point C would provide more than adequate backup.

But the builders of these power stations haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory!

• Construction of Hinckley Point C started in the late 2010s and first power is expected in 2031.
• Hinckley Point C power station has all the stink of bad project management.
• The Nimbbies would also be out in force at Bradwell.

There are also all the financial problems and those with the Chinese, indicated in The Times article.

A Fleet Of Small Modular Reactors

Hinckley Point C will hopefully be a 3260 MW nuclear power station and Rolls-Royce are saying that their small modular reactors will have a capacity of 470 MW.

Simple mathematics indicate that seven Rolls-Royce SMRs could do the same job as Hinckley Point C.

The advantages of providing this capacity with a fleet of SMRs are as follows.

• Each reactor can be built separately.
• They don’t all have to be of the same type.
• The total 3260 MW capacity could also be built at a pace, that matched the need of the wind farms.
• Building could even start with one of each of the chosen two initial types, the Government has said it will order.
• I also believe that there could be advantages in the sharing of resources.
• The rail link to Southminster would enable the bringing in of the smaller components needed for SMRs by rail.

Hopefully, the power of a big nuke could be added to the grid in a shorter time.

A Number of Long Duration Energy Stores

Highview Power is building 4 x 200 MW/2.5 GWh liquid air batteries for Orsted in the UK ; 2 in Scotland and 2 in England. They are backed by the likes of Centrica, Goldman Sachs, Rio Tinto, the Lego family trust and others.

Each GWh of liquid air needs a tank about the largest size of those used to store LNG. I suspect like LNG tanks they could be partly underground to reduce the bulk.

A Hybrid System

Bradwell is a large site and could easily accommodate a pair of Highview Power batteries, two SMRs, and all the other electrical gubbins, which would total to around 1.5 GW/5 GWh. This should be sufficient backup, but there would be space to add more batteries or SMRs as needed.

 

April 17, 2025 - Posted by AnonW | Energy, Energy Storage | Bradwell Nuclear Power Station, Highview Power, Offshore Wind Power, Rolls-Royce SMR, Small Modular Nuclear Reactor, Wind Power