Bradwell Nuclear Station closes

Bradwell nuclear power station in Essex closed on Thursday 28 March.

Friends of the Earth and local residents were there to welcome the event - and to highlight the potential for wind power to fill the gap left by the closure. They took a large model wind turbine to reinforce the message.

Friends of the Earth campaigners with model wind turbine

The Bradwell area enjoys wind speeds of over 6 m/s making it highly suitable for wind farms.

Wind developer and green electricity company, Ecotricity, plans to build the equivalent output of two Bradwells by 2010.

A local off-shore wind farm planned for 2004 near Clacton-on-Sea will match forty per cent of the capacity of Bradwell.

Bradwell had been in operation for 40 years despite the fact that in 1990 the National Radiological Protection Board said that people living near Bradwell faced an "unacceptable risk of dying from cancer due to radiation exposure".

Image of child celebrating the close of Bradwell