Scientists have discovered plans to use a “fish disco” to deter nearby marine life. Hinckley Point c A nuclear reactor could help save 90% of fish from a power plant’s water intake pipes – but the solution will cost its developer £700m.
Constructed by EDF Energy Hinckley Point c Research commissioned by scientists at Swansea University, a nuclear plant in Somerset, found that the use of a noise-absorbing system helped to avoid “overwhelming” fish being tagged for the experiment.
The expensive system, known informally as the “Fish Disco”, is designed to use more than 300 underwater speakers to emit sound pulses to repel fish from the water intake pipes, which draw water from the River Severn to cool Hinckley’s reactors.
EDF said it expected to spend around £700m on the solution, or 1.5% of the total cost of building the £46bn project, which would give Britain’s first new nuclear power plant “more fish protection than any other power station in the world”.
This helps to save 44 tonnes of fish per year – equivalent to the annual catch of a small fishing vessel. The company declined to estimate the total cost of fish saved over the 25-year life of the reactor’s subsidy deal.
There is EDF Argued against The need to fit a sound barrier in the past suggests that salt marshes can be built to help protect marine life.
Under EDF’s subsidy contract, it earns a set return for electricity generated by Hinkley, meaning it has to absorb the additional cost of the fish disco rather than adding to it. On household bills.
The system is expected to have special mouths fitted to the intake pipes to slow the suction of water and allow fish to escape from a distance of 2 meters and a fish recovery system that returns sucked fish into the pipes.
The scientists found that tagged twit shadfish came within 30 meters of the test intake pipes when the speakers were turned on, compared to 14 found in the same area without the system turned on.
In good news for salmon populations, research has found that those migrating to the Atlantic typically use the Severn’s main channel, which is away from Hinkley Point C’s intake pipes. In two years only two tagged salmon were detected within 1 km of the take, the scientists said.
Dr David Clarke, a fisheries scientist and marine ecologist at Swansea University, said: “These initial results are very encouraging as the system is clearly working. Our results show that the majority of tagged shad avoid an area up to 60 meters from the intake heads protected by the acoustic fish deterrent system.”
Hinckley Point C head of environment Chris Foers said: “As the system works better than we expected, we can meet all our planning obligations and not have to create 900 acres of salt marsh as environmental compensation. And that’s good news for a power station that produces the reliable, low carbon electricity the country needs.”
The research findings will be submitted for regulatory review and approval by the Marine Management Organization later this year.
