Europe’s highest court threw out a bid Tuesday by Austria to strip public financing for the construction of a nuclear power station on the coast of southwestern England. Set on the Somerset coast, the Hinkley nuclear power station is the first built in the U.K. since 1995. It has been called Europe’s largest construction project, but it’s also a controversial one due to its reliance on taxpayer funds, cost overruns and questions about the future of nuclear power. Critics also see it as a wasteful taxpayer-funded scheme to make sure Britain retains the nuclear engineering capacity it needs to maintain its nuclear submarine weapons program. After the European Commission approved state aid for the nuclear station in 2014, Austria objected, saying the project was against the common interests of the EU and violates rules governing fair competition. Austria has opposed nuclear power for decades. Luxembourg joined Austria in its fight against the nuclear plant.
Courthouse News 22nd Sept 2020 read more »
Reuters Practical Law 22nd Sept 2020 read more »
World Nuclear News 22nd Sept 2020 read more »