Britain will get its first new nuclear power station for a generation after Theresa May's government gave the go-ahead to a new plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset. The plant will be run by French energy giant EDF, with a Chinese energy company owning a 33 per cent stake.
Ms May delayed approving the plant amid concerns about cost, safety, and national security but the government said it had attached important conditions to the deal. Ministers will be able to stop EDF selling its stake in Hinkley Point and the government will take a special share in all future nuclear new-build projects.
Greg Clark, secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, said there would be further reforms to allow the state to protect critical infrastructure from foreign ownership deemed risky to national security. “Having thoroughly reviewed the proposal for Hinkley Point C, we will introduce a series of measures to enhance security and will ensure Hinkley cannot change hands without the government’s agreement. Consequently, we have decided to proceed with the first new nuclear power station for a generation. Britain needs to upgrade its supplies of energy, and we have always been clear that nuclear is an important part of ensuring our future low-carbon energy security.”
Security fears
The prime minister put the decision on Hinkley on hold soon after she took office, partly out of a concern that giving
China
access to such key infrastructure posed a security risk. As home secretary, Ms May had received frequent briefings about the cybersecurity threat posed by Chinese hackers.
The plant could cost the government tens of billions of pounds in subsidies to the French and Chinese companies and critics complain the energy it produces will be too expensive for consumers.
The Chinese agreed to take a stake in Hinkley, on the understanding that China General Nuclear would be allowed to design and lead another nuclear project at Bradwell in Essex. The Chinese firm, backed by the government in Beijing, expressed delight at the decision to approve Hinkley Point.
“We are delighted that the British government has decided to proceed with the first new nuclear power station for a generation. We are now able to move forward and deliver much-needed nuclear capacity at Hinkley Point, Sizewell and Bradwell with our strategic partners, EDF, and provide the UK with safe, reliable and sustainable low-carbon energy,” it said.
Business and manufacturing groups welcomed the decision to go ahead with the power plant, which will provide 7 per cent of Britain’s energy needs. Unions also welcomed the decision, claiming it would create 25,000 jobs but environmentalists condemned it as short-sighted.
Energy needs
Bridget Woodman, deputy director of the Energy Policy Group at the University of Exeter, said Ms May had missed an opportunity to have a meaningful debate about Britain’s future energy needs. “Unfortunately, the UK’s energy policy remains stuck in the same old dirty, centralised rut, despite cleaner, more flexible and cheaper alternatives being available,” she said. “The prime minister had a moment of common sense earlier in the summer when she realised that the viability of the project needed careful scrutiny, but in the end she has caved in to French and Chinese pressure . . . despite all the evidence stacking up that subsidising the station will cost electricity consumers billions of pounds . . . not to mention all the taxpayer underwriting for clearing up its radioactive waste when it stops operating.”
