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Hinkley Point: UK expected to approve nuclear plant deal Hinkley Point: UK expected to approve nuclear plant deal
(35 minutes later)
Plans to build the first new UK nuclear plant in 20 years are expected to be approved by the UK government, the BBC understands.Plans to build the first new UK nuclear plant in 20 years are expected to be approved by the UK government, the BBC understands.
One source says the French and Chinese governments have been told that the £18bn Hinkley Point project will go ahead, with conditions.One source says the French and Chinese governments have been told that the £18bn Hinkley Point project will go ahead, with conditions.
The decision was postponed by the government in July.The decision was postponed by the government in July.
France's EDF had agreed to pay for two-thirds of the project, with China paying one-third.France's EDF had agreed to pay for two-thirds of the project, with China paying one-third.
Critics of the deal have warned of escalating costs and the implications of nuclear power plants being built by foreign governments. There has been no official confirmation that the deal will go ahead, but an announcement is expected in the coming days.
As part of the original agreement, EDF secured a guaranteed payment of £92.50 per megawatt hour of electricity generated. Reactor design
China General Nuclear Power Group, the state-controlled company investing in Hinkley, sees the project as part of a three plant deal. It is hoping to build other new nuclear power stations in the UK at Bradwell in Essex and Sizewell in Suffolk. Critics of the deal have warned of escalating costs and the implications of nuclear power plants being built in the UK by foreign governments. China General Nuclear Power Group, the state-controlled company, sees its investment in Hinkley Point as part of a three-plant deal.
The Chinese agreed to take a stake in Hinkley and at Sizewell on the understanding the UK government would approve a Chinese led and designed project at Bradwell. The Chinese agreed to take a stake in Hinkley and at Sizewell on the understanding that the UK government would approve a Chinese led and designed project at Bradwell.
Justin Bowden, national officer of the GMB union, said: "Giving the thumbs up to Hinkley is vital to fill the growing hole in the UK's energy supply needs. BBC Business Editor Simon Jack said there were two key issues. One is the price guarantee of £92.50 per megawatt hour of electricity generated, which he said he did not believe was "up for grabs".
"It will be a big relief for the 25,000 quality jobs which were put at risk by the latest delay, never mind the reputational damage inflicted on UK plc." "The bigger prize is they want to use their own nuclear reactor design at Bradwell which would give it a British kitemark," he said. It would mean that the Chinese could then sell its designs in other countries.
However, he said: "The GMB has always had reservations about linking Bradwell and Sizewell with the contract for Hinkley. The Bradwell part of the deal has raised questions over national security, and it is thought that the conditions attached to the Hinkley approval may include greater oversight and scrutiny of China's involvement.
Justin Bowden, national officer of the GMB union, said: "The GMB has always had reservations about linking Bradwell and Sizewell with the contract for Hinkley.
"The government should never have allowed the country to be held over a Chinese barrel.""The government should never have allowed the country to be held over a Chinese barrel."
The decision on investment was approved by EDF's board in July, and was agreed in principle with China during the state visit by President Xi Jinping to the UK in October 2015.The decision on investment was approved by EDF's board in July, and was agreed in principle with China during the state visit by President Xi Jinping to the UK in October 2015.
During her recent visit to the G20 summit in China, Prime Minister Theresa May defended the delay, insisting it was down to "the way I operate" because she wanted a fresh look at the evidence.During her recent visit to the G20 summit in China, Prime Minister Theresa May defended the delay, insisting it was down to "the way I operate" because she wanted a fresh look at the evidence.