Theresa May is set to give the go ahead for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant station – but with new conditions attached.
Downing Street has said only that there will be a decision by the end of September, but with MPs due to leave Westminster for the party conference season on Thursday, many commentators are expecting the announcement imminently.
Mrs May ordered a review of the project in July, shortly after taking office, amid concerns over costs and the security implications of the involvement of the Chinese state-backed firm, CGN.
The apparent decision to give the go ahead to the project – reportedly with new conditions attached – was welcomed by trade unions who had warned that tens of thousands of jobs would be at stake if it was cancelled.
Justin Bowden, national officer of the GMB union, said: “Giving the thumbs up to Hinkley is vital to fill the growing hole in the UK’s energy supply needs.
“It will be a big relief for the 25,000 quality jobs which were put at risk by the latest delay, never mind the reputational damage inflicted on UK plc.
“The Government should never have allowed the country to be held over a Chinese barrel.”
However, Greenpeace – which is to hand in a petition with 300,000 names opposing the scheme – said public support had collapsed and called on the Government to invest in renewables instead.
Executive director John Sauven said: “Support for Hinkley is at rock bottom.
“The public knows what the Government has yet to learn – investment in renewables should be prioritised over nuclear power.
“The Government shouldn’t risk taxpayers’ money on old-fashioned, flawed technology. It should be investing in the future.”
Juliet Davenport, chief executive of independent renewable energy supplier Good Energy, said: “The decision to go ahead with Hinkley C is a bad move.
“It will take at least a decade to build and leave our grandchildren an inheritance of high energy costs, hazardous waste, security worries, and a plant that needs complex and costly decommissioning.”
Stop Hinkley spokeswoman Sue Aubrey said: “There is no widespread support for new nuclear, particularly at Hinkley Point.
“Consumers can tell that the project may be unconstructable, requires vast subsidies and would generate electricity too expensive to use.”
During her recent visit to the G20 summit in China, Mrs May defended the delay, insisting it was down to “the way I operate” because she wanted a fresh look at the evidence.
The go ahead will spark a fresh row about the high cost of energy from Hinkley, with EDF being paid £92.50 per megawatt hour of electricity generated.
CGN has a third stake in the scheme and is hoping to build other new nuclear power stations in the UK at Bradwell in Essex and Sizewell in Suffolk.
The Prime Minister’s official spokeswoman said on Wednesday: “We are committed to making a decision by the end of the month. That’s the approach.
“We haven’t taken the decision yet. The Prime Minister has not been in touch with the Chinese.”
Recommended for you
