First nuclear reactor at Moorside pushed back to 2025

The first reactor at the Moorside nuclear plant, which NuGen is planning to build in Cumbria, will be deployed by “the end of 2025” and not in 2024 as previously thought.

The delayed schedule was revealed in documents published by the developer over the weekend, as it began stage two of its consultation with the local community.

A spokesman for NuGen said it is still “on track” to make a final investment decision in 2018, with no change to the schedule up to that point.

He said the date for the first reactor deployment had been revised to allow more time for processes beyond 2018 which are “outside of our control” such as state aid approval and government negotiations.

The Moorside project has been a joint venture between Engie and Toshiba since June 2014, when Toshiba bought a 60 per cent stake in NuGeneration – 50 per cent from Iberdrola and 10 per cent from Engie’s previous incarnation, GDF Suez.

The plant will have a total capacity of 3.4GW, supplying 7 per cent of the UK’s power needs. Westinghouse, a Toshiba owned company, will supply three of its AP-1000 reactors for the project.

The second stage of the consultation will run up until the end of July.

EDF’s Hinkley Point C nuclear plant is also scheduled to start generating power in 2025 – eight years later than was originally planned.

In April French economy minister Emmanuel Macron said a final investment decision on Hinkley Point C, due to take place in mid-May, would be delayed once again – possibly until September.

Last week EDF denied that the estimated cost of the project had increased after it announced both it and its partner – China General Nuclear (CGN) – had committed themselves to an additional £2.7 billion of contingency funding on top of the stated £18 billion price tag.