French group EDF, which is building Britain’s Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant, has announced that the unit will not be in use until June 2027. That means a one-year delay when compared to the previous plans.
“The start of electricity production in the first unit is scheduled for June 2027. The risk of further delays to both units is estimated to be up to 15 months, assuming that there is no further pandemic wave and no further negative effects of the war in Ukraine,” EDF said in a press release.
Not long ago it was estimated at 23 billion
The latest update on the start-up date for Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant came in January 2021. At the time it was calculated that the delay would be no more than six months and that the cost of building it would rise by only £500 million to a final £22-23 billion.
The construction will eventually become even more expensive
But Thursday’s announcement literally drew a line through the budget. And not only in terms of time, but also financially. The new estimate of the cost of building the plant is between £25 billion and £26 billion. In other words, EDF is also being hit by rising prices for construction materials and other important plant components. Construction is therefore likely to be £3 billion more expensive than expected.
