What is Hinkley Point and why do we need it?

Controversial nuclear power plant has been beset by problems and is already eight years behind schedule.

(Reuters)

Plans for the first new nuclear power station in a generation in the UK have finally been given the go-ahead by the UK Government, after an unexpected delay in the summer.

How much energy will Hinkley Point C generate?

It has the capacity to provide 7 per cent of the UK's generation needs for 60 years.

When will it start generating electricity?

The latest schedule will see it begin generating power in 2025, a lot later than the promise made by EDF boss Vincent de Rivaz in 2007, who said Britain would be cooking Christmas turkeys on new nuclear power by 2017.

Why has it been beset by delays?

There have been issues with financing the £18 billion project by EDF, which seemed to have been finally solved when the French government, which owns 85% of EDF, provided fresh financial backing.

French unions have raised doubts about Hinkley, and problems with two nuclear plants under construction in France and Finland have also had an impact on the project.

But EDF gave it the go-ahead, didn't it?

With financing in place, EDF made its final investment decision in July, giving a green light to the new nuclear power station - although the vote by the company's board was close at 10-7 in favour.

But in a move that took everybody by surprise, the UK Government responded to EDF's announcement by saying it would review the project and make its decision in the autumn.

Was that not expected?

Absolutely not. Ministers were expected to sign documents securing the deal immediately.

Reports from the construction site in Somerset suggested the marquee for the VIP event was up and waiting and Chinese officials, whose Government has a third share in the scheme, were set to attend, but had to fly home empty-handed.

Why did the Government delay again?

Concerns had grown about the cost to consumers who will be locked into paying subsidies of £92.50 per megawatt hour of power generated for 35 years, which experts have estimated could cost close to £30 billion on energy bills over that time.

There were also security concerns about the role of the Chinese in the UK's nuclear power provision, particularly in its plans to design and build a reactor at Bradwell in Essex.

But don't we need Hinkley Point to keep the lights on?

The argument for Hinkley, and indeed a whole fleet of new nuclear power plants which the Somerset plant was supposed to herald, is that nuclear power is needed to keep the lights on at the same time as cutting carbon emissions to tackle climate change.

It would provide predictable base-load power, and is one of the lowest-carbon electricity sources available.

A number of coal-fired power plants and nuclear reactors have closed in recent years and the Government has pledged to phase out polluting coal by 2025. Nuclear currently supplies 20% of our electricity but most reactors will have closed by 2030.

So we do need Hinkley Point?

Concerns have been raised that the energy landscape has changed in the last few years, since the deal was first backed and the contract negotiated.

Renewables are much more mainstream and the costs of subsidising solar, onshore and offshore wind have fallen dramatically.

And the way the energy system is managed, with more balancing of supply and demand and growing use of storage, may mean a large chunk of base-load power running all the time - as nuclear would - is not needed.

Does nuclear have public support?

The latest surveying from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy suggests just over a third of people back the technology, while a little over a fifth are opposed. Some 42 per cent are neutral or don't know.

What have the Chinese said about the Government's go-ahead?

The Chinese state-owned company CGN welcomed the move and said it would now be able to deliver nuclear capacity at Hinkley Point, Sizewell and - controversially - Bradwell.

• Comment: Hinkley Point C is a bad project. Now it has the go-ahead can we please focus on making the future renewable?

PA