The French government has attempted to calm fears that the UK’s vote to leave the EU will scupper plans to build Britain’s controversial Hinkley Point nuclear power station, reports the Financial Times.
Emmanuel Macron, the French economy minister, said on Tuesday that the vote will have “no consequences” for the £18bn project, urging state-owned utility EDF to press with its final investment decision.
He said at the World Nuclear Exhibition in Paris on Tuesday that France has “bilateral treaties and bilateral commitments with Britain” for Hinkley Point that are not affected by the UK’s membership in the EU.
The comments follows fears that the instability caused by the UK referendum will heap more tension on a deal that has already been repeatedly delayed. Loud voices in both countries want to disrupt the deal.
One of the EDF unions, CFE Energies, said this week that due to the “political and economic” uncertainty, it was “only common sense” to delay the project. It said EDF should not “rush into the unknown”.
It highlighted the sharp fall in sterling since Friday and said that nobody knew how, following prime minister David Cameron’s resignation on Friday, a new British government will feel about the nuclear project.
Hinkley Point represents a crucial part of the future UK energy mix: it is set to provide low-carbon electricity to meet 7 per cent of the country’s total needs when up and running in 2025.