French economy minister says the energy giant’s green light on the £18bn project is now not expected until September

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

The decision on whether to go ahead with the £18bn Hinkley Point C nuclear power project has been delayed again, after France’s economy minister said the country’s energy giant EDF may not give it the green light until September.

Emmanuel Macron’s comments come a week after he said EDF would deliver its verdict on Hinkley Point, which is set to meet 7% of the UK’s energy needs, in “the coming week or month”.

EDF said just days ago that it was expecting to make a final decision in the summer, having previously promised to do so by the time of its annual general meeting on 12 May.

The fresh delay raises the prospect that even if the project does go ahead, it will not meet its scheduled completion date of 2025, already eight years later than originally planned.

Hinkley Point C: what you need to know about the nuclear power project Read more

Macron told a French newspaper that three conditions must be in place before EDF, which is 85% government-owned, could proceed with building two reactors at Hinkley Point in Somerset.

He cited an improvement in EDF’s financial position, consultation with French trade unions and unspecified measures to ensure construction goes according to plan.

“The final investment decision could be confirmed next September,” he said.

Hinkley Point has proved controversial in the UK. There have been allegations that the project is too expensive and fears that a series of delays suffered on similar EDF nuclear projects in France and Finland could be replicated.

EDF has also faced opposition from French trade union officials who say the project threatens the company’s financial stability.

It has since approved a £3.1bn capital injection funded partly by the state, in a bid to shore up its finances ahead of the Hinkley decision.

The fresh delay is likely to fuel criticism of the project from organisations such as Greenpeace, which last week said the project was an “utter mess”.

Greenpeace’s director, John Sauven, responded to EDF’s previous announcement that a decision would not come until the summer by cautioning that the project was doomed.

“This may now be the sign that the entire project is coming to a grinding halt and the UK government urgently needs to back renewable energy as a more reliable alternative,” he said.