Energy secretary says UK can still complete construction on new nuclear power plants fast enough to have them running by 2020

Ed Davey

The UK can still complete construction on new nuclear power plants fast enough to have them running by 2020, energy secretary Ed Davey, has said.

The government had planned to have the UKs first wave of nuclear power plants in decades coming on line in 2017 but the timetable has slipped as the programme has been hit with multiple delays.

Speaking before the House of Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee on Tuesday, Davey rejected speculation that there would now be no new nuclear power until 2023.

He said: 鈥淲e are still hopeful we could see new nuclear generating in maybe 2020, 2021.鈥�

Davey said that efforts to agree a price for the nuclear electricity from EDF鈥檚 Hinkley Point C development were going 鈥渋ncredibly well鈥�.

He added: 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to say it will definitely be there [in 2020] because we haven鈥檛 signed a deal yet.鈥�

Topics