Decision desperately needed on Hinkley Point C warn union

French energy giant EDF said the power station in Somerset will not start generating power in 2023 as originally planned, prompting Kevin Coyne, Unite national officer for energy, to call on energy secretary Amber Rudd to ‘get her skates on’.

Mr Coyne said: “This delay is very bad news for the UK as energy capacity is very stretched at present. We have lost energy resources in recent years due to old coal-fired stations being phased out.

“Business and domestic consumers face the very real prospect of power cuts and the lights going out in the years to come if the final investment decision on Hinkley Point is not made very soon.

“We have welcomed the important role that EDF Energy has played in its investment at Hinkley Point, so far, as part of the renaissance of nuclear power to meet the nation’s target for low carbon energy and nuclear build. However, a decision is desperately needed from the government.

“Amber Rudd needs to use her ministerial position to press potential investors for a quick decision on the necessary future investment, so that EDF can make a decision before Christmas.”

The EDF statement comes in the week that saw the announcement of the planned closure of the Eggborough coal-fired power station in West Yorkshire which will bring the job losses in the region’s coal-based energy sector to about 1,000 in recent months. The nearby coal-fired Ferrybridge C power station is also due to close in March next year.

Unite said that by closing Eggborough and Ferrybridge C, there will be a reduction in their contribution to the grid by about eight per cent, enough to power about four million homes.

David Elmes, head of the Global Energy Research Network, believes the delay to Hinkley Point C new nuclear power station was to be expected and also increases the debate for a realistic assessment of the UK’s future energy mix.

He said: "There is certainly a need for some of these large, supply-focused projects, but the idea that large projects must be cheaper for the energy they produce is more debateable when you look at examples such as new nuclear.

“I wish that the companies and other parties involved would have kept the costs and schedules of current new nuclear projects under control as nuclear offers energy with low emissions.

“We also need to consider the increasing opportunities for the more efficient use of energy, and look at more distributed solutions for the supply and use of energy, which show a better track record of reducing their costs as their they grow their share in our energy mix.”