The Hinkley Point C nuclear plant in Somerset will face another delay, with operations now expected to begin in 2030, a year later than previously planned. French utility EDF announced the setback, which will cost the company €2.5bn and pushes the total project cost to £35bn, nearly double the £18bn estimate when it was approved in 2016.
EDF's chief executive Bernard Fontana described the new forecasts as “more realistic,” noting that the 2030 start date remains within the range given last year. Once operational, the plant is expected to generate around 7% of Britain's electricity demand. However, UK bill payers will subsidise EDF by over £2bn annually under a fixed-price contract that does not adjust for cost overruns.
The delays and cost overruns have drawn criticism, echoing problems at EDF's Flamanville plant in France, which started operations in December after a 12-year delay and cost escalation from €3.3bn to over €13.2bn. The Hinkley Point C delay contributed to a sharp fall in EDF's full-year earnings, which dropped to just over €29bn in 2025 from €36bn the previous year, partly due to lower generation and wholesale prices.
EDF's UK earnings from electricity generation fell by a third to €2.3bn, impacted by unplanned outages at Hartlepool and a busy maintenance schedule. The company is under financial pressure as it prepares to build six new reactors in France and complete the Sizewell C project in Suffolk, in which it holds a 12.5% stake.
The government sees new nuclear plants as essential to reducing fossil fuel reliance and meeting climate targets, but the Hinkley Point C project has faced repeated delays and budget overruns since construction began in 2017.
