Source · Select Committees · Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
Recommendation 38
38
Accepted
Paragraph: 216
Gigawatt-scale nuclear projects face formidable financing challenges, cost overruns, and construction delays.
Conclusion
Gigawatt-scale nuclear projects cost tens of billions of pounds to plan and construct before a single unit of electricity is generated. Their long period of construction, complexity, and subordination to potentially variable regulatory standards have been associated with large cost-over runs and delays. For all of these reasons, and more, the financing of gigawatt-scale new nuclear power has proved formidably challenging. Most civil nuclear nations have built new nuclear power stations on the public sector balance sheet, as did the UK for all of its existing nuclear power stations. Hinkley Point C has been financed off the Government balance sheet by Delivering nuclear power 105 the French Government-owned utility EDF and Chinese CGN. Its construction is proceeding in return for a 35 year Contract for Difference (CfD) fixed at £92.50/ MWh in 2012 prices. The conceived cost of construction has increased from £18 billion at the time of the final investment decision to £32 Billion in 2023 and its completion date is now forecast to be 2027, around two years after EDF’s estimate at the time of Final Investment Decision (FID). It is important to note that the estimates of that cost overrun as result of the CfD model are not to be met by UK consumer or taxpayer, but by the companies. The CfD runs for 35 years from start- up during the 2025–2029 period. If the plant is not generating electricity by 2029 then the contract would be shortened by one year up until 2033 after which the contract will be cancelled and EDF will not receive any top-up revenues from the CfD.
Government Response Summary
The government reported that the long-stop date for cancellation of the Hinkley Point C contract was extended by three years, from November 2033 to November 2036, to account for unexpected events like the Covid-19 pandemic.
Paragraph Reference:
216
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The long-stop date for cancellation of the HPC Contract was agreed (in November 2022) to be extended by three years from November 2033 to November 2036. The long stop date triggers the right but not the obligation to cancel the CfD support package if not yet commissioned. Having a long- stop date gives the developers an impetus to do everything they can within their control to keep to the schedule dates and deliver at pace rather than let the project run on indefinitely. However, in this case the extension of the long- stop date gives the developers some bandwidth to take account of unexpected events such as the Covid-19 pandemic.