The team at Sizewell C is raising awareness of the new nuclear power station and how it will combat climate change at community events across the county.
The Sizewell C team has been to lots of local events this year to talk to people about the new nuclear energy project, including The Suffolk Show, First Light Festival, and Sotterley Country Fair.
“We’re really lucky in Suffolk to have some of the best summer festivals and community events in the country,” says Marjorie Barnes, head of regional external affairs and development at Sizewell C.
READ MORE: How Sizewell C is building the future of carbon capture
This week, Sizewell C volunteers were at the Aldeburgh Carnival, and next month the team will be at the first Leiston Book Festival.
“That’s a pretty good summer line-up!” says Marjorie. “These events give us a great opportunity to let people know how the project is getting on. That’s really important to us – to keep people informed and to take the community with us on this journey as we build this amazing project.”
Despite the season of great events, it’s been another summer when the growing impacts of climate change are becoming more apparent.
Last week, the Guardian reported that a record 15 national heat records had been broken globally since the beginning of 2024, with weather extremes growing more frequent. Tens of thousands of high temperature records have been registered at monitoring stations from the Arctic to the South Pacific, with 2024 described as “the most record-breaking for every statistic” by one climate historian.
“We’ve spoken to thousands of people at Suffolk events over the last few months and the impacts of climate change are a frequent topic,” says Marjorie.
Tackling climate change is the principal aim of Sizewell C. It will generate low carbon power for six million homes for at least 60 years, saving nine million tonnes of CO2 emissions for every year of its operation.
The project is also creating hundreds of acres of new habitats, including its flagship nature reserve at Wild Aldhurst, and is expected to increase biodiversity in the area by 19%.
READ MORE: Sizewell C challenges students to reconstruct The Gherkin
“Meeting people at these events gives us the chance to talk to people about what we’re doing and why – and people really get that,” says Marjorie. “We also use these events to update the public on how and when we’re doing things.
“Yes, most people in Suffolk support the project and they understand the climate emergency – but we have to keep them informed about how our project might impact them.”
Another way the project does that is through the Sizewell C community forums, which are open to the public and give local communities an opportunity to hear about the project’s latest developments.
“We’ve had ten forums already this year – with four more to come,” says Marjorie. “It’s been great to see so many communities and organisations represented. More than 140 town and parish councils were invited to our biggest forum, and we’ve had such good feedback we’ve decided to host that main forum twice a year instead of just once.”
Sizewell C has hosted its own summer moments, including a hands-on archaeology workshop for families at the Sizewell Visitor Centre. It also staged a production of Benjamin Britten’s ‘Noye’s Fludde’ at Thorington Theatre near Southwold – the first production from its arts programme, Sizewell Creative.
“The theme of climate change was at the heart of Noye’s Fludde,” says Marjorie. “It was brilliant to see so many people from local communities and schools, alongside the Sizewell C team, get together around the concept of climate action. We worked with 500 local students on the production, as well as great organisations, including one of our social partners, Project 21, and the Zoological Society of East Anglia.”
There’ll be new events from Sizewell C soon – and though the summer is drawing to a close, there’ll be more ways to stay up to date with the project.
“We’ve got a great team based on the High Street here in Leiston,” says Marjorie. “So anyone can pop in: Monday to Friday. You don’t have to attend one of Suffolk’s amazing events to catch us – though we hope to see people there too!”
For more information, visit sizewellc.com
This article is part of the EADT's Clean & Green campaign, which aims to promote our region as the biggest in the UK and Europe for all forms of renewable energy.
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