The UK’s flagship Hinkley Point C nuclear power station has been delayed until 2029 at the earliest, with the cost potentially increasing to as much as £46bn (€53bn) at today’s prices and developer EDF blaming Covid, Brexit and inflation.

Under French state-owned EDF’s latest scenario, one of the two planned units at Hinkley Point C, in Somerset, southwest England, could be operational in 2029, a two-year delay compared with the company’s previous estimate of 2027.

But it could be further delayed to 2031 in adverse conditions, EDF said. The company did not give an estimate for the second unit.

EDF, which is supplying two EPR units for the facility, said the cost would now be between £31bn-£35bn based on 2015 prices, depending on when Hinkley Point C was completed. The BBC said that in today’s prices, the cost could rise to as much as £46bn. The initial budget was £18bn, with a scheduled completion date of 2025.

Hinkley Point C had already been delayed by construction disruption during the Covid pandemic.