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The system was developed by Devon fisheries conservation experts Fishtek Marine
A ‘fish disco’ to deter marine life being sucked into pipes belonging to Hinkley Point C nuclear plant is “highly effective”, according to research carried out by scientists.
Sea trials by Swansea University have shown the ultrasound technology – developed by a Devon company – is able to keep target species away from the power station’s underwater tunnels.
The system is a network of speakers that play sounds under water to deter fish in the Severn Estuary from swimming close to cooling pipes.
It was developed by Totnes-based fisheries conservation firm Fishtek Marine and can be deployed and maintained without using divers. It is also more compact compared to earlier proposed systems that used more than 250 underwater loudspeakers, according to the Bridgwater plant.
The ‘fish disco’ is one of three separate protection systems being used by Hinkley Point C and is set to cost developer EDF, which commissioned the research, £700m.
The Somerset nuclear plant says it is already able to slow the speed of water entering the cooling tunnels, allowing fish to escape from as close as two metres in a 20-kilometre-wide channel, with a return system transferring fish back to the sea.
According to Dr David Clarke, fisheries scientist and marine ecologist at Swansea University, the early results are “very encouraging”. He added: “The system [is] clearly working.”
According to EDF, testing of tagged fish showed that after the acoustic deterrent was turned on, only one tagged twait shad came within 30 metres of the intake heads, compared to 14 when the system was off.
Successful completion of the testing, which will continue this year, would mean the power station can meet all its planning obligations on fish protection and the project believes further compensation measures should not be required.
Chris Fayers, head of environment at Hinkley Point C, said: “The successful testing of the acoustic fish deterrent is good news for the environment and for communities and farmers up and down the Severn.
“Because the system works even better than we had hoped, it means we can meet all of our planning obligations and should not need to create 900 acres of saltmarsh as environmental compensation. And it’s good news for a power station that will generate the reliable, low carbon electricity that the country needs.”
The results of the research, as part of an application for system deployment, will be submitted for regulatory consideration and approval later in the year.
Pete Kibel, managing director of Fishtek Marine, added: “We have now developed a highly effective system that will protect fish in the Severn Estuary and potentially be an option for many more power stations throughout the world.”
Hinkley Point C is Britain’s newest nuclear power station and is due to be open by 2031. It is set to provide six million UK homes with zero-carbon electricity when finished, but has been plagued by cost overruns and delays since it received government approval in 2016.
