The British government cast doubt on the future of a controversial 18-billion pound ($24 billion) project to build Britain’s first nuclear power plant in more than 20 years, pledging to review the deal just hours after the board of France’s state-run utility gave the go-ahead.
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With the approval by the board of directors, EDF will move ahead with contracts signing with the United Kingdom government, EDF’s partner China General Nuclear Power Generation (CGN), and the main suppliers for the project.
The government then said it was “only right” to review the project and would make a decision by the autumn.
However, the Hinkley saga faced fresh delays after the UK Government last night announced it will review the deal before signing it off, with a decision now likely in “early autumn”.
Ian Liddell-Grainger, Rebecca Pow, James Heappey and Marcus Fysh all welcomed the result of the EDF vote, with Mr Liddell-Grainger stressing its importance to local communities.
EDF suggests its plans to build a nuclear plant next to the two existing facilities at Hinkley Point in Somerset could ultimately produce 7 per cent of British electricity and create 25,000 jobs.
John Sauven, Greenpeace executive director, said: “Theresa May now has a chance to stop this radioactive white elephant in its tracks”. French unions say it is too big and costly for EDF and jeopardizes the survival of the company.
Chairman Jean-Bernard Levy said he believed “we can have a lot of confidence in the British government”.
May’s new Government appear to want to take an in-depth look into the deal and there might be worries about the level on Chinese intervention in a nuclear plant in the UK. “The French government is too committed to this project”.
Hinkley Point C would feature two Areva-designed EPRs at 1650 MWe each, expected to operate for 60 years and to benefit from ratepayer-backed guaranteed price for electricity for the first 35 years. In November, climate and energy secretary Amber Rudd said high-emission coal plants were “not the future” adding that a combination of nuclear and renewable energy should be used.
However, indecision may be the worst option of all, giving the impression of a frightened new government caught in the headlights.
Marie-Claude Hemming, head of external affairs for the Civil Engineering Contractors Association, said EDF’s decision to back the project had ended years of uncertainty for the UK’s nuclear supply chain, and would “allow industry to move towards delivery of this vital project”.
Hinkley does not provide the United Kingdom with an answer to the management of power generation and the need to balance the grid, said Dr Jenifer Baxter, head of energy and environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
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The HPC development was the subject of the European Union competition investigation in 2014, and was only approved following representations from the United Kingdom government.
