Doug Parr: A lot has changed since Tony Blair signed the UK up for new nuclear almost exactly a decade ago. Back then we were talking about a start date of 2017 – with electricity produced for £24 per MW/hour of power. All of it now seems absurd. Instead the French state-owned utility building Hinkley faces two fundamental problems. First the nuclear design it wants to build (the European Pressurised Reactor) is a mess – it’s not yet been built successfully anywhere and it’s described by an engineering professor as ‘unconstructable.” Second, partially because of that, EDF don’t yet have the money to pay for it. Whilst Hinkley has cleared all the UK legal hurdles there remain questions over finance and compliance with EU State Aid law. The arrangements for the UK’s subsidy for Hinkley was, somewhat surprisingly, cleared through State Aid in October 2014. This clearance raised two challenges: firstly from Austria and Luxembourg, and secondly from a group of German renewable energy companies. These have not yet been resolved
Energy Desk 23rd May 2016 read more »
The UK boss of EDF, Vincent de Rivaz, will face questions from MPs in parliament for the second time in nine weeks amid growing questions over its plan to build an £18 billion nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset. Mr de Rivaz appeared before the energy select committee on March 23 when he assured MPs that EDF would soon make a final investment decision to press ahead with the giant project.
Times 23rd May 2016 read more »
BBC 24th May 2016 read more »
Somerset County Gazette 24th May 2016 read more »
ITV 24th May 2016 read more »
City AM 23rd May 2016 read more »
BRIDGWATER’S MP, Ian Liddell-Grainger has slammed a committee in which his neighbouring MP sits, accusing them of ‘causing trouble’ for Hinkley Point C. Mr Liddell-Grainger said that the Energy and Climate Committee are a group of ‘petty minded’ people who should ‘admit they are an anti-nuclear committee.’ Neighbouring MP James Heappey, for Burnham-on-Sea, is a member of the ECC. Mr Liddell-Grainger said: “I’ve had enough of this. “The ECC Select Committee is anti-nuclear, have never liked nuclear and never will. “These people are out to stop it- one of my neighbouring MPs is on the committee. “I myself have sat on five committees so I know what I’m talking about and I think it’s appalling. “They’re just out to cause trouble for Hinkley.”
This is the West Country 23rd May 2016 read more »