THE go ahead for a new £18bn nuclear power station in Somerset has finally been given after the government imposed “significant new safeguards” for future projects.
The Hinkley Point C Nuclear Plant, would be the first of its type to be built on UK soil for 20 years, but has been hit with constant delays and high profile resignations most notably from the EDF board of directors.
The power station is being financed by the French and the Chinese. One of the stumbling points on the deal was that China wanted to use its design for new UK nuclear stations.
However, Theresa May’s government said it would now “impose a new legal framework for future foreign investment in Britain’s critical infrastructure”.
Critics of the deal have warned of escalating costs and the implications of nuclear power plants being built in the UK by foreign governments.
In a statement, the government said: “After Hinkley, the British Government will take a special share in all future nuclear new-build projects. This will ensure that significant stakes cannot be sold without the government’s knowledge or consent.”
EDF say that the plant would bring 25,000 jobs to the local area.
South West MEP Julie Girling welcomed the news that the nuclear power plant is likely to go ahead.
Mrs Girling said: “I think it was only right that the new Prime Minister should want to satisfy herself over the cost and security matters involved in a huge investment from China.
“But I am delighted the result is a green light. As someone who works closely on environmental issues I am convinced that nuclear has to play a key part in a clean, green power mix.
The decision by Theresa May to approve the go-ahead has been hailed as ‘historic’ by Unite, the country’s largest union.
The union said that the announcement by Greg Clark, secretary for business, energy and industrial strategy has ended ‘a period of unwelcome uncertainty’ and its members were ‘shovel ready’ to start work on the project.
Unite national officer for energy Kevin Coyne said: “Today’s historic decision is very welcome. Our members are shovel ready and dead keen to start work on the country’s first nuclear power station for a generation.
“It is excellent news that that the uncertainty caused by Theresa May’s decision to put Hinkley Point ‘on hold’ has now been dispelled and that the government recognises the role of nuclear in a mixed energy economy.
“It means that the lights will remain on in the UK in the decades ahead and it heralds an economic renaissance for the West Country, with the accompanying creation of thousands of skilled jobs and the positive ripple effects to the supply chain across the UK. It is especially heartening that the new jobs will include 500 much-needed apprenticeships.
“This was the first big litmus test for big infrastructure projects, following June’s EU referendum and shows that there is the appetite for giving the green light for such projects that the UK so desperately needs for its future economic prosperity.
“Unite will be pressing the UK government, EDF and the sub-contractors to make maximum use of British-made materials, such as steel, so that the benefits flow into the blood stream of the wider UK economy.”
Kevin Coyne added: “The trade unions involved with this project are also pleased to say that we have agreed a ground-breaking template with EDF for decent working conditions and employment practices at the Somerset site.”
However Dr Bridget Woodman, Deputy Director of the Energy Policy Group at the University of Exeter, based at the Penryn Campus in Cornwall, was less enthusiastic said:
“Theresa May’s decision to back the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station is a huge missed opportunity for the UK. 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 to go ahead despite all the evidence stacking up that subsidising the station will cost electricity consumers billions of pounds over its lifetime, not to mention all the taxpayer underwriting for clearing up its radioactive waste when it stops operating.
“This is a case of short term politics winning out over the longer term economic and environmental benefit of the nation. By going down the nuclear route, the Prime Minister has missed the opportunity to have a meaningful debate about the future development of the UK’s electricity system and the role that renewables and demand management can play in delivering cheaper, less environmentally damaging and more secure power than Hinkley Point.
“Unfortunately the UK’s energy policy remains stuck in the same old dirty, centralised rut, despite cleaner, more flexible and cheaper alternatives being available.”
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors’ Head of Policy and Parliamentary Affairs, Jeremy Blackburn, commented:
“The approval of Hinkley provides some certainty on meeting the UK’s future energy needs and its commitment to the development of low carbon electricity.
“The project will lead to use of material from across UK industries including steel from Wales, and much needed foreign investment in the south-west, particularly during this period of uncertainty.
“The current skills shortage and the long construction period does, however, raise the question of whether we have access to the right skills and the capacity to fill the thousands of skilled jobs that will be created.
“With government approval received, it is imperative that any further delays are avoided and the power station is built on time and budget.”
