UK officials sign deal for Hinkley Nuclear Plant

The UK government has signed a GBP 18bn contract with France and China, clearing the way for construction to begin on the Hinkley Point C Nuclear station in Somerset. The deal was between the British government, the French energy company EDF, who are funding the majority of the project, and China’s Nuclear Power Corporation, which has a 33.5 percent stake in the project. Finalized plans for the nuclear plant were postponed in July after the new British PM Teresa May demanded additional time to study the proposal.

This will be the first nuclear plant to have been built on English soil in a generation and is expected to begin generating power by 2025. It will provide approximately 7 percent of Britain’s electricity and provide power to 6 million homes.