The government is considering a proposal to detach development of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant from an agreement allowing China to build a reactor in Essex. The plan is one of the options under consideration after Theresa May delayed approving the £18bn Hinkley Point project last month, according to a report in the Times. The prime minister is concerned about China’s involvement in the project to build Britain’s first nuclear power plant for a generation in Somerset and a further agreement for China to build reactors in Bradwell, Essex, and Sizewell, Suffolk. An option under consideration in Whitehall is to approve Hinkley Point but delay a decision on the Bradwell reactor to allow a discussion about its effect on British security, the Times said. Any attempt to split Hinkley Point from the agreement to let China build reactors in Britain would endanger the whole deal because the Bradwell plant was meant to be a showcase for China’s nuclear technology in Europe. Tension over Hinkley Point means May risks an awkward first G20 meeting of world leaders as prime minister. The meeting, on 4 and 5 September, takes place in the Hangzhou, China, and will be hosted by Xi Jinping, China’s president, who signed the Hinkley Point agreement last year.
Guardian 29th August 2016 read more »
Daily Mail 30th Aug 2016 read more »