UK Government to fund £20 billion Sizewell C nuclear power plant

• 3 years ago (2020-12-15)
• David Flin

Europe 1089 Nuclear 659

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The UK Government has announced that it is restarting talks with EDF about construction of the £20 billion 3.2 GW Sizewell C nuclear power plant in Suffolk. The government said that any deal would be subject to approval on value for money and affordability. It added that the talks would depend on the progress of the Hinkley Point C plant, also being built by EDF in partnership with China General Nuclear Power (CGNP).

CGNP has a 20 per cent stake in Sizewell C, but is believed to be considering pulling out after security concerns were raised about a Chinese state-owned company designing and running its own design nuclear reactor in the UK. If it were to pull out, it is likely that the government would need to take a stake in the plant.

The announcement is part of the Government’s Energy White Paper. The White Paper said that any final decision to build the plant will be subject to a full regulatory and planning approval process. The government said the talks would hinge on the progress of Hinkley Point C, “and the developer’s application of lessons learnt from Hinkley Point C across to Sizewell C from development to design, through construction and commissioning, and into operations.”