An ultrasonic acoustic fish deterrent designed for EDF’s Hinkley Point C cooling water intakes has proved “highly effective” in Swansea University trials, significantly reducing fish approach rates to the intake zone. The system uses targeted sound frequencies to steer multiple species away from the intake channel, aiming to meet Environment Agency requirements on impingement and entrainment without major changes to the intake structure. Trial results may remove the need for a large compensatory saltmarsh scheme on the Severn Estuary, easing local planning and coastal engineering constraints.

WSP and Mott MacDonald have secured a £25M contract from Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE‑N) to deliver environmental services and permitting support for the proposed small modular reactor (SMR) development at Wylfa on Anglesey. The consultancies will lead environmental impact assessment, regulatory interface and consents strategy for the multi‑unit SMR site, a former nuclear location with complex coastal, seismic and ecological constraints. Early permitting work will be critical for geotechnical investigations, marine works and long‑lead nuclear island foundations once a reactor technology is selected.

Biodiversity net gain requirements on Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects are being framed as a source of “desperately needed” long-term climate resilience, with large linear schemes such as new highways, rail corridors and strategic energy infrastructure able to create continuous habitat networks at scale. Experts point to legally secured 30‑year management plans, species-rich grassland and woodland planting, and restored wetlands as measures that can buffer flood risk, reduce heat stress and stabilise soils around major assets. For designers and contractors, this shifts BNG from a planning obligation to a core part of geotechnical and drainage resilience strategy.