Last week the government of the United Kingdom approved the construction of two reactors at Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant, the World Nuclear News reported. Key to decision was the agreement reached by the British government with the French energy firm EDF.
The future of Hinkley Point C was one of the major issues in the relationship between the UK and China during the Brexit campaign. Former Prime Minister David Cameron had reached a deal with China for investment and operation of the Hinkley Point C plant. The new government guided by Theresa May has changed that prospect, but not that much. China is still involved, with a share of 33.5%.
EDF and China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) are already planning to develop two more projects in Suffolk and Essex counties – the latter using Chinese reactors.
The British government imposed its own right to take a “special share” of every future critical infrastructure project.
The British nuclear sector is moving forward in the wake of COP 21. The Summit to fight climate change, held in Paris in December 2015, called for a dramatic decrease of CO2 emissions. Nuclear energy is widely seen as a “clean energy,” and often as one of the best chances to limit the environmental disaster caused by power plant emissions.
Recently, Beijing announced that Chinese companies are active in 60 new nuclear power plant projects to be built in the next ten years.
September 22, 2016
English, Notizie