Lies and deceit

It would appear that at the moment, many a high-profile figure wouldn’t know the truth if it came up and punched them in the face. Not sure if this has always been the case, or perhaps now, we just have more means of calling them out on their bullsh*t.

The specific bullsh*t I am referring to is in relation to Hinkley Point, the first new nuclear power station to be built in the UK in over 20 years.

Hinkley Point C in Somerset is set to provide low-carbon electricity for around six million homes, create thousands of jobs and bring lasting benefits to the UK economy.

The electricity generated by its two EPR reactors will apparently offset nine million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year, or 600 million tonnes over its 60-year lifespan. Sounds pretty good right, wouldn’t it be great to be the boss that won over that boardroom?

Well, yes and no. Boss of EDF, the French company building the new reactors, did indeed win boardroom approval, but this was before they discovered he had failed to disclose an internal review labelling the project as ‘risk-laden’.

According to an article penned by Adam Sage for The Times, in a highly critical report on the European Pressurised Reactors, the Court of Audit said that the Hinkley Point project, led by EDF, represented a ‘high financial risk’ for the French state electricity group.

The court said that the risks had been pointed out as early as 2015 in a review by Yannick d’Escatha, a former chairman of the French National Centre for Space Studies, where he outlined dangers stemming in part from the involvement of China General Nuclear, which has a minority stake in the project.

The review went on to say that “organisation and governance” of the project “were not efficient enough to guarantee that risks would be controlled”, that the timetable was unrealistic and that there were “worrying industrial weaknesses” in the supply chain.

The court said that Jean-Bernard Lévy, EDF’s executive chairman, had “refused to transmit the full report” to directors or the government, even though the state has an 83.7% stake. They received only a synopsis.

And that’s not the only mistake EDF has made. According to a Hinkley Point C worker, construction has been put above all else, including staff safety, with images of packed staff buses and canteens doing the rounds in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic (which in case they hadn’t noticed, we’re still in.)

One of the workers cited, “You’ve still got people in vans – three and up, and all the toilets are rammed. There’s an account that I know of where someone’s been sent home with symptoms and the whole of their workforce – (the people) they work with and have had prolonged contact with – have been told not to isolate.”

Needless to say, it seems the whole project is not only a financial risk, but a colossal breach of health and safety. And I do wonder, has all this just been quietly swept under the rug? I cannot find anything to say construction has ceased, so my best guess is things are just continuing on as normal, with no repercussions and complete disregard for the safety of the workers involved. Shock.

Claire Fletcher, Editor