27 Jun (NucNet): French utility EDF is carrying out a full review of the costs and schedule related to the planned Hinkley Point C nuclear power station project in southwest England, the French state-owned utility said in a statement. The review is in accordance with EDF’s corporate governance rules and was laid out in the company’s 2016 annual financial report, the statement said. EDF said the review will be completed soon and the results will be released to the public. EDF said its clarifications were in response to articles in the press regarding the Hinkley Point C project. According to unconfirmed reports in French media last week, EDF’s management was expected to confirm fears that the project could face delays and cost overruns. UK-based EDF Energy is building two EPR units at Hinkley Point C in Somerset, southwest England. Construction of the actual reactor building for the first EPR is scheduled to begin in 2019. The two 1,600-MW units are expected to provide 7% of Britain’s electricity needs when fully operational, or enough to power six million homes. The cost of the project has been put at £18bn (about €20bn, $22bn).
