First British nuclear reactor for generation won’t be operational until 2030

Hinkley Point C won’t be operational until 2030, a year later than hoped, with the delay costing €2.5bn (£2.2bn) to the French utility company EDF.

Construction on the nuclear reactor in Somerset, the first British nuclear power plant to be built since the 1990s, has been hit by a series of delays. 

The reactor was originally slated for completion in 2025, but two years ago EDF forecast it wouldn’t become operational until sometime between 2029 and 2031.  

hinkley

The Hinkley scheme now won’t be operational until 2030

The cost of building the nuclear plant is now set to reach £35bn, according to EDF’s latest financial results, twice the £18bn estimated for the plans in 2015.

Bernard Fontana, chairman and chief executive officer of EDF, said:  “Safety, security and health are the Group’s priorities, to provide our customers with competitive, sovereign, low-carbon electricity. 

“2025 was a year of sound operational and financial results. These results reflect all the action taken to raise operational performance sustainably, with nuclear output up, record levels of pumped-storage hydropower, and faster deployment of our new commercial policy.”

Last week EDF confirmed it has abandoned plans to build a 1,000-bed campus of temporary accommodation for Hinkley Point C workers near the M5 motorway in Bridgwater.

With an estimated 15,000 construction workers needed on the Somerset site, EDF already has two campuses for Hinkley Point C: the Sedgemoor Campus on the A39 Bath Road, and the Hinkley Campus adjacent to the power station.

Last summer NNB Generation Company announced plans to create a 1,000-bed campus near Junction 24 of the M5. EDF has since said this campus is “no longer required” due to the workforce being lower than expected.