At Hinkley Point C, the nuclear plant under construction on England's Somerset coast, engineers have spent the past year installing and testing a network of ultrasonic speakers across the seabed. The devices are designed to drive fish away from the plant's water intake system, which would otherwise kill large numbers of marine life. The work is part of a delicate balance: building low-carbon nuclear power while trying to protect the surrounding ecosystem.
The project sits within a larger policy shift in Britain. The government is rethinking its nature protections to unlock more nuclear development, treating the technology as essential for meeting climate targets. That has created tension between environmental groups, who worry about harm to protected habitats and species, and officials who argue that streamlined rules are necessary to deliver clean energy quickly.
The ultrasonic system is one attempt to square that circle. By using sound to keep fish away from the most dangerous parts of the plant, the developers hope to reduce the ecological toll without halting construction. Whether the approach works at scale, and whether it satisfies regulators and conservationists, remains to be seen. But the experiment at Hinkley Point C shows how far the UK is willing to go to reconcile its climate ambitions with its environmental laws.