The Government has given the go-ahead for the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk.

The project will be built next to the existing Sizewell B plant (pictured) and is expected to generate enough low-carbon electricity to supply six million homes.

Chief executive of the planning inspectorate, Sarah Richards, said: 'The examining authority listened and gave full consideration to local views and the evidence gathered during the examination before making its recommendation.'

Suffolk County Council said it was 'disappointed' that a number of key issues have not been fully resolved by this decision.

Cllr Richard Rout, Suffolk County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and environment, said: 'We have taken the concerns of Suffolk residents to the highest levels, from the planning inspectorate to the secretary of state. We are disappointed that, in our opinion, some of these have not been listened to.

'It is now our role to ensure that as Sizewell C proceeds, it does so with the least possible impact on Suffolk’s residents and unique natural environment, whilst doing all we can to maximise the economic opportunities for our county.'

East Suffolk Council said it will reviewing the report to understand the decisions made and the reasoning behind them.

Cllr Craig Rivett, deputy leader and cabinet member for economic development, said: 'East Suffolk Council looks forward to continuing working with the applicant, key stakeholders and the local community to ensure that appropriate mitigation is in place to help lessen the impacts of the project during the construction phase.'

Konstantinos Chalvatzis, professor of sustainable energy business at UEA’s Norwich Business School, warned new nuclear power stations have a 'challenging' business case to make.

'The exorbitant costs of new nuclear power stations must be checked against alternative options. Just two weeks ago seven gigawatts of offshore wind energy contracts were awarded for costs at a fraction of what new nuclear plants require.'