Newsround July 2025
10 June – Office for Value for Money: Correspondence published today from the independent Chair of the Office of Value for Money to the National Audit Office’s Comptroller General confirms that the Office of Value for Money did NOT assess Sizewell C (SZC). We have sent out a response expressing our disappointment and frustration
18 June – Telegraph: US energy giant is in talks with Downing Street to build a major power plant off the coast of Wales as Sir Keir Starmer throws his support behind a nuclear renaissance in Britain. Westinghouse, which is also pursuing a US nuclear expansion under Donald Trump, is understood to have presented plans for at least two large reactors at Wylfa, in the Isle of Anglesey. It is lobbying for the Welsh site to be kept in reserve for the project – which could power several million homes – as the Government considers whether to put Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) there instead
19 June – East Lothian Courier: Scotland’s only working nuclear power station, just outside Dunbar, is set to stop generating in five years’ time. Torness, which has the capacity to power more than two million homes and employs more than 500 people, will shut down for good and begin its decommissioning. The Future of Torness: an East Lothian Courier and Herald series | East Lothian Courier
19 June – The Critic: European Pressurised water Reactor (EPR) plants are both grossly expensive, relative to Britain’s historic plants. Sizewell B (SZB), the last new nuclear plant built in Britain, came online in 1995 and cost £2,030mn in 1987 prices — £5.85bn in 2025, using CPI inflation. Even accounting for the fact that SZB’s nameplate capacity is 1,250MW compared to the 3,260 MW of the two EPRs, the capital costs per MW are far more expensive. The construction costs of the cheaper EPR, SZC, are set to stand at £12.3mn per MW. By comparison, SZB’s construction costs amount to £4.7mn per MW. So even adjusting for inflation and plant size — which should nominally reduce the cost per MW via economies of scale — the EPR reactors are nearly three times more expensive than their predecessors. Sizing up Sizewell C | Matthew Kirtley | The Critic Magazine
20 June – FT: Apollo to finance Hinkley Point C (HPC) with £4.5bn loan. Funding for electricity group EdeF, the UK’s largest ever private credit deal, eases pressure on the troubled project. US private capital group Apollo will provide £4.5bn in debt financing to support HPC, easing mounting financial pressure on the delayed and over-budget project. The investment-grade package will be provided as unsecured debt at an interest rate just below 7 per cent, according to people familiar with the matter. EdeF, which is building two new nuclear reactors at the site in Somerset, said it will be able to borrow £1.5bn each year over three years as part of the package. The debt has a maximum maturity of 12 years. The debt package addresses a significant gap in the finances of the project, which has struggled with a shortfall since China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN), which was supposed to provide a third of the cost of the project, stopped providing further financing in 2023
20 June – New Civil Engineer (NCE): EdeF’s decision to prioritise HPC over SZC led to a delay in the development of the latter, according to a review by the government. Government says EDF’s prioritisation of Hinkley Point C delayed development of Sizewell C | New Civil Engineer
24 June – Frederik Lundberg on LinkedIn: The French-designed EPR reactor was supposed to be built in 4 or 4,5 years, and to produce 13 TWh of electricity per year. (As for EDF:s promise, see for example. https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flnkd.in%2FdFXe5geb&data=05%7C02%7C%7Ce777870d2cbc42334bea08ddb3c76b7d%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638864391308489102%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=glSXUvuHWPeAfV%2BAnEDhRgBIbWeiQQzzBkv7lumrOfQ%3D&reserved=0 point 19.) At 13 TWh/year and operating when planned to do so, the first 4 reactors, in Finland, France and China should have produced about 648 TWh by the end of 2024. According to new data from the IAEA PRIS, they have produced 123,4 TWh, a mere 19 % of what was promised. Much of this underachievement is explained by construction delays, on average 8,5 years for the first 4 reactors. But even after they have started to produce electricity, it is far less than the 13 TWh/year predicted. In fact, it is 8,4 TWh. Put it in another way, the ”load factor” is low. Lifetime load factors through 2024 are: Taishan 1: 55%, Taishan 2: 76 %, Olkiluoto 3: 77,6%. Flamanville 3 in France was connected to the grid only in December 2024, so it is too early to tell. But as for the other three, the weighted average so far is about 67 percent. 100 per cent is impossible. The world average load factor is about 82 per cent, as real world reactors have both planned and unplanned stops. The EPR has consistently been marketed as being able to produce 13 TWh per year, for 60 years. The theoretical maximum for a 1600 megawatt reactor, 24/365, is just above 14 TWh, so 13 TWh corresponds to a load factor of 92.8%.It is conceivable that the load factors will increase but it is not sure. Taishan 1 is the oldest EPR in operation, and it is also the worst performer
25 June – FT: EdeF chief weighs asset sales as Paris pushes for new nuclear focus. Insiders say Bernard Fontana’s stance signals he is aligned with the French government, unlike his predecessor. EdeF’s new boss is conducting a portfolio review that could lead to the French energy group selling some assets, as he seeks to meet government demands to focus on building new nuclear reactors in France
27 June – FT: Centrica is set to take a 15% stake in the SZC after years of delay and months of drawn out negotiations. All sides are keen to reach a Final Investment Decision (FID) on the project before parliament’s recess on 21 July
3 July – World Nuclear News (WNN): A siting study has identified 21 sites in the Midlands region of central England that could potentially support 20 GWe of new nuclear generating capacity in the nearer term. Two sites were selected as the region’s most strategic nuclear deployment opportunities. The siting study was commissioned and funded by Midlands Net Zero Hub on behalf of Midlands Nuclear – a collaborative initiative established to ensure that the Midlands is well positioned to potentially benefit from future nuclear developments. The Midlands Net Zero Hub is in turn funded by the UK’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The study was delivered by nuclear strategic and technical consultancy and project development company Equilibrion, with input from Portinscale Consulting and Ennuvo. UK study says Midlands sites suitable for nuclear new build – World Nuclear News
4 July – BBC: Three companies are facing prosecution for health and safety offences over the death of a site supervisor at HPC. Jason Waring, 48, from Nottinghamshire, died in a construction incident after sustaining fatal injuries in November 2022. He worked for one of the site’s main contractors Bylor, a joint venture between two of the companies facing charges – Bouygues Travaux Publics SAS and Laing O’Rourke Delivery Limited. The third company to be notified of prosecution, NNB Generation Company (HPC) Ltd, is a subsidiary created by EdeF Energy to build both HPC in Somerset, and SZC in Suffolk. Companies to be prosecuted over Hinkley C death – BBC News
5 July – Mirror: Sellafield nuclear power plant safety fears as ‘potentially deadly nitrogen gas leaks’. One incident involved an ‘elevated level’ of nitrogen gas, which can cause asphyxiation, at the plant’s Magnox facility. The incident was played down, the source claimed. Safety at the UK’s biggest nuclear site is under threat due to a culture of secrecy and ‘cover ups’, a whistle blower told the Mirror. The source described a potentially deadly incident in which nitrogen gas, which can cause asphyxiation, leaked at the Sellafield Magnox storage facility. The incident was covered up, the source claimed, adding that staff are afraid to raise safety issues because they fear they will be “targeted”. The leak was at the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo – the most hazardous building within Sellafield in Cumbria – where waste products from used nuclear fuel rods are stored. The source said the leak in May 2023 was raised as an incident report and “was of a level that needed to be escalated”. But it was not escalated, according to the whistleblower, who added that “no lessons were learned”. They said: “There is no confidence or trust in the senior management now. We are dealing with nuclear waste and people are afraid to speak up. The problem is that people are being victimised if they report safety issues. “Or they are escalated to managers who then try to cover them up or sweep them under the carpet. And that is a really dangerous culture in a place like Sellafield.” Sellafield nuclear power plant safety fears as ‘potentially deadly nitrogen gas leaks’ – The Mirror
6 July – Guardian: In his book, Going Nuclear, Tim Gregory, a nuclear chemist at the UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory, sets out why this is not only desirable but a moral imperative. “Opposition to emissions-free energy — at the time we need it most — is one of the great contradictions of our age,” he writes. “Can we afford to be afraid of nuclear power? Not only is nuclear essential if we want to reach net zero – it’s the key to tackling poverty, too.” Can we afford to be afraid of nuclear power? | Energy | The Guardian
7 July – Bloomberg: The UK government has reached a deal with French authorities, allowing EdeF to retain a 12.5% stake in SZC. The UK government and other investors will hold the remaining stake, with the UK investing £14.2 billion in the project to replace aging atomic plants and provide low-carbon electricity. EdeF is set to hold a board meeting to greenlight its participation in SZC, which will help the UK government make an FID on the project soon after.
9 July – Guardian: Letter Nick Eyre: Tim Gregory (Can we afford to be afraid of nuclear power? 6 July) makes a series of assertions that are incompatible with recent evidence about the transition to zero-carbon energy. Two stand out. The first is that the world needs more energy. Poor countries certainly do. But the clean-energy transition involves shifting to much more efficient technologies, such as electric vehicles and heat pumps. Many studies, including by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, show that these can enable rich countries to halve their energy use while improving living standards. The whole world could have western European lifestyles and still use less energy. The second error is to argue that wind and solar energy cannot power a reliable electricity grid. A major study by the Royal Society showed that a system based on these resources with some long-duration storage is not only feasible, but will be cheaper than a system with any level of nuclear power. Nuclear power is a costly distraction from building an efficient and renewable system. We must count the real costs of nuclear power | Nuclear power | The Guardian
9 July – FT: The UK government is set to hold a minority stake in SZC as ministers close in on a final deal to secure private investment into the multibillion pound development. The government’s stake is expected to be diluted to around 47.5%, with Canadian investor Brookfield Asset Management, British energy supplier Centrica and French energy giant EdeF holding the remainder, according to people with knowledge of the ongoing negotiations. Brookfield is likely to take a 25% stake, with Centrica buying 15%, the people said. EDF, which is leading the development of the site, said on Tuesday it would reduce its holdings to 12.5%. The announcement came as part of French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to the UK this week. EDF yesterday said its total investment would be a maximum of £1.1bn. The company has already invested around £600mn. Bpifrance, the country’s export credit agency, is also providing a £5bn debt guarantee
10 July – Somerset Live: Staff walk out at HPC over alleged ‘bullying’ “This bullying has been going on for far too long.” Staff at HPC walked out on an unofficial strike on 9 July over alleged bullying. An unconfirmed number of workers in the Mechanical, Electrical and Heating (MEH) group of contractors downed tools at the nuclear power station construction site in Somerset. A person involved in the staff walk out told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it was a response to bullying from senior management. They said: “This bullying has been going on for far too long.” Staff walk out at Hinkley Point C over alleged ‘bullying’ – Somerset Live
13 July – Guardian: ‘An enormous scar’: the battle over solar farms and pylons as Reform UK takes aim at net zero. We look at how climate orthodoxy is coming under fire in Lincolnshire. Lincolnshire is at the heart of the government’s plan for the greatest economic step-change since the Industrial Revolution: a green re-industrialisation to help galvanise the country’s net zero agenda, create jobs and revitalise deprived areas. Under this vision Britain’s ports will become the industrial heartlands for the burgeoning offshore wind sector, and refineries and factories will pioneer the carbon capture technology considered essential to reach the world’s climate goals. On shore, acres of gleaming solar panels will blanket farmland and the old sites of demolished coal power plants, with miles of pylons and cables crossing the county to connect the North Sea’s windfarms to the power grid. This vision is on a collision course with the rise of Reform UK, as well as the tough economic climate, as the Guardian explores. In few places is this battle more evident than Lincolnshire, a growing base for the hard-right party. Its founder, Nigel Farage, has called the government’s net zero ambitions a “lunacy” that destroys jobs, drives up energy bills and is responsible for the deindustrialising of Britain. He has predicted that the schism over net zero will be the “next Brexit”. Meanwhile, the region’s remaining heavy industry is increasingly imperilled: the government had to intervene in April to prevent the abrupt closure of the Scunthorpe steelworks’ blast furnaces; the Lindsey oil refinery near Immingham is in deep financial trouble; and a neighbouring biodiesel plant owned by Greenergy, part of the commodities company Trafigura, is to close. ‘An enormous scar’: the battle over solar farms and pylons as Reform UK takes aim at net zero | Renewable energy | The Guardian
14 July – Telegraph: The British way of life is “under threat” because of climate change, Ed Miliband has claimed. The Energy Secretary suggested that those who opposed Labour’s approach to green policy would be “betraying future generations” by inaction. Mr Miliband made the comments in response to a Met Office report that found that Britain has twice as many extremely hot days a year than it did at the end of the 20th century. The State of the Climate report revealed data that show there are now 42 days a year which are more than 5C hotter than the average temperature between 1961 and 1990
Roy Pumfrey for Stop Hinkley July 2025