The U.K. Sizewell C project is a proposed nuclear power plant in Suffolk. The plan is to construct a one gigawatt two hundred-thousand-megawatt power station with two European Pressurized Reactors (EPR) nuclear reactors. The construction was expected to begin in 2024. Construction would take between nine and twelve years. The exact time required to build the plant would depend on developments at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station which is also under development by EDF. It shares many similarities with the proposed Sizewell C power plant.
       Now the proposed Sizewell C power plant is under review and could be delayed or even canceled. The U.K. government is trying to cut spending on major projects. Sizewell C was expected to provide as much as seven percent of the total electricity in the U.K. However, critics have argued that it will be too expensive and take too long to build. A U.K. official told the BBC that “We are reviewing every major project – including Sizewell C.”
    The U.K. government is due to unveil its tax and spending plans under the new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the Autumn Statement on the 17th of November. Negotiations on raising funds for Sizewell C are ongoing. It would not be expected to begin generating electricity until the 2030s.
     A Treasury spokesperson said that delivering infrastructure projects was a priority. Business Secretary Grant Shapps said that “HS2 is underway, within budget, and supporting 28,000 jobs, we are also seeking to approve at least one large-scale nuclear project in the next few years and aim to speed up the delivery of around 100 major infrastructure projects across the UK.” He went on to say that recent commitments by former Prime Minister Liz Truss were likely to be scaled back.
     Last month, Truss and Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, pledged “full support” for the Sizewell C nuclear power station on Suffolk’s coast. The plant was set to be developed by EDF, the French energy company. The U.K.  government gave the go-ahead for the plant last July. EDF has said that is could generate enough electricity for about six million homes.
      However, there was confusion last Thursday as executives at EDF and the U.K. Business and Energy departments seemed to be blindsided by a potential change in direction on existing government policy which had promised to press ahead with both large and smaller scale nuclear power projects. On nuclear industry executive involved in the matter said, “As far we know, it’s still on.”
     New large-scale nuclear power plants have been a key part of the U.K. government strategy to help reduce the U.K.’s reliance on fossil fuels. While he was Prime Minister, Boris Johnson declared that it was his intention to build eight new nuclear power reactors in the next eight years. Unfortunately, it did little to convince domestic and foreign investors in the U.K. that they are dealing with a government with stable policy priorities.
      It might be better for the U.K. to develop sustainable energy sources instead of sinking more money into nuclear power plants.