French utility EDF reaffirmed its plans to complete its Hinkley Point nuclear reactor project in southern England by 2025 after a newspaper report said a group of its own engineers had doubts about the timetable.
In an emailed statement on Wednesday, the group bemoaned “unfounded rumours and fantasy information” in the media without being any more specific.
“EDF denies these rumours (and) confirms that the start-up date for the first reactor is fixed for 2025 and that no delay is envisaged,” EDF said.
The Financial Times reported that EDF engineers had written an internal note calling for a delay of at least two years and a reactor redesign.
The report follows repeated indications this year that there is opposition to the project from within the 85 percent state-owned firm, including the resignation of a senior executiveand a letter from its boss to staff insisting it needed more financial backing from the state.