EDF may announce final Hinkley Point decision next week

• 7 years ago (2016-07-22)
• Junior Isles

Europe 1061 Nuclear 640

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French energy giant, EDF, will make its long-awaited final decision on whether to go ahead with the highly-publicised nuclear power station at Hinkley Point at a meeting of its board of directors on July 28.

A statement said: “HPC is a unique asset for French industry as it would benefit the whole of the nuclear industry and support employment in major companies and smaller enterprises in the sector… This project has been the subject since 2013 of a significant sharing of information with employees and their representatives, illustrating the commitment of the company to quality social dialogue.”

EDF announced in April that its works council would be consulted on the terms of partnership with the Chinese Group CGN for the multi-billion pound delayed project.

Hinkley Point C is a crucial component of the UK’s future energy mix, as it is scheduled to provide 7 per cent of the country’s total electricity needs when it is up and running in 2025.

UK Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said: “New nuclear is an essential part of our plan for a secure, clean and affordable energy system that will power the economy throughout this century. This is a welcome decision from EDF, and we look forward to the outcome.”

Greenpeace UK executive director John Sauven said that handing over billions of pounds of British tax-payers money over to the French government for an outdated technology made little sense. He went on to say: “The type of reactor EDF wants to build at Hinkley hasn’t yet been shown to work… For UK bill payers, the rationale for a massively over-priced power station like Hinkley has long since disappeared but all the key players are too embarrassed to stop it.”