The UK today signed a civil nuclear energy deal with France, in a move the British government has claimed will create thousands of jobs.
“As two great civil nuclear nations, we will combine our expertise to strengthen industrial partnership, improve nuclear safety and create jobs at home,” a statement from David Cameron said. “The deals signed today will create more than 1,500 jobs in the UK.”
French energy giant Areva is leading the development of a EPR reactor, but Cameron said British companies would make “the vast majority of the content of our new nuclear plants”.
Rolls-Royce is one of the UK companies set to benefit from today’s agreement. It will sign a £400m deal with Areva to supply engineering services to the first EPR reactor at Hinkley Point in Somerset.
Kier and BAM Nuttall will also benefit from a £100m contract French energy company EDF to carry out preliminary building work on the Hinkley Point site.
Hardly surprisingly, Friends of the Earth has reacted angrily to the deal. Energy campaigner Paul Steedman said: “Cameron’s deal today will leave British taxpayers footing a massive bill for new nuclear plants we don’t need and can’t afford – while EDF continues to rake in huge profits.
“Billions of pounds have already been spent subsidising nuclear – and dealing with nuclear waste is expected to cost many billions more.
“We’re already seeing lengthy delays and spiralling costs at the two nuclear reactors currently under construction in Europe.
The Guardian today reported: “Environmental activists have occupied the site of what is planned to be Britain’s first new nuclear power station since 1995, and on Friday accused EDF of “ignoring democracy” and starting work on the £10bn project without permission to build the station.
“EDF today admitted they did not have permission to start building the power station but said the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) had accepted their application for a Development consent order (DCO). The IPC will take around a year to decide on the DCO and, if EDF’s bid is successful, would allow the company to build on the site.”
Doug Parr, of Greenpeace, said: “No amount of talking up of the French nuclear industry by David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy will cover up the fact that the economics of new nuclear reactors don’t stack up.
“The track record of EDF in building new nuclear power stations on time and to budget is appalling. Recently the independent risk agency Standard & Poor’s downgraded EDF’s creditworthiness.
“All this came just a few months after a French judge sentenced a number of EDF senior executives to prison for unscrupulous acts of spying.
“French nuclear power is no longer popular, even in France.
“So instead of using UK taxpayers’ money to prop up failing French industries, David Cameron should follow the lead of Germany and concentrate on securing vast numbers of jobs and economic growth in the rapidly-expanding clean energy industries such as wind and solar power.”
Did anyone really expect it all to run smoothly?
