Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 2:07 pm on 3 October 2018.
I'm very grateful for the opportunity to set out the EIA process again. A key point to note is that this non-EIA approach does not mean that a full and thorough environmental assessment was not undertaken. A radiological assessment was carried out and supported by experts, as well as the wider environmental and human health assessments needed for the marine licence determination. An EIA was carried out on the Hinkley Point C project overall; it was submitted as part of the supporting information supplied with the application for the marine licence and, as such, was considered in the determination process.
The difference between non-EIA and EIA projects is the length of time for public consultation: 28 days for non-EIA, and for EIA applications this is increased to 42 days.