Jun 23, 2017

Auditors lambast Hinkley Point deal

UK government plans for a new £18bn nuclear power station have come under fire from public auditors, who call it "a risky and expensive project". The case for the Hinkley Point C plant in Somerset was "Marginal" and the deal was "Not value for money", according to the National Audit Office. State-controlled French energy firm EDF is funding two-thirds of the project, which will create more than 25,000 jobs, with China investing the remaining £6bn. Critics of the deal have warned of escalating costs and the implications of allowing nuclear power plants to be built in the UK by foreign governments. "The government has increasingly emphasised Hinkley Point C's unquantified strategic benefits, but it has little control over these and no plan yet in place to realise them." "The project is having a major impact on the UK's industrial capacity, jobs and skills. Relaunching the UK nuclear new build industry at Hinkley Point C will enable costs for future projects, in particular Sizewell C, to be lower."

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