UK to review Hinkley Point nuclear power project
29 Jul 2016
The UK government has cast doubt on the future of a controversial £18-billion project to build the country's first nuclear power plant in over 20 years, at Hinkley Point.
The government's pledge to review the deal comes only hours after the board of France's state-run utility gave the go-ahead.
UK Business and Energy secretary Greg Clark said late yesterday that the government would carefully consider the project before deciding on it in ''early autumn.''
Critics have slammed the plan, which they claim represented poor value for money for consumers, who would pay Electricite de France SA billions of pounds in subsidies to operate the plant for 35 years.
The decision to hold up Hinkley Point comes after a meeting between Theresa May, the new UK prime minister and French president, Francois Hollande earlier this month where May was non-committal about the project, according to people present at the private talks, Bloomberg reported.
The project had received enthusiastic support from May's predecessor, David Cameron for the jobs the project would create and its potential to allow the UK to meet its carbon reduction goals.
''I have no doubt about the support of the British government led by Mrs. May,'' EDF CEO Jean-Bernard Levy said yesterday. He referred to a recent statement by the UK's new chancellor of the exchequer, Philip Hammond, backing the project.
According to commentators, the new development came from the top in tghe government and the timing seemed calculated to cause maximum impact.
Tom Greatrex, the chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, called for and early decision.
"We need to get on and do this and that's why I'm hoping the government make their decision very soon because if it goes on for a lengthy period of time we are going to run the risk of having real problems in terms of our energy supplies," he said, BBC News reported.
"Then what happens is that we end up paying a lot more and we end up paying for much more dirty power which we can't afford to.
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