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EDF's Hinkley Point C proposal is not the UK's only new nuclear power option, energy secretary Ed Davey insisted yesterday.
In an interview on BBC’s Newsnight, Davey reiterated a commitment to make sure any deal struck on support for nuclear was good value for the taxpayer.
He played down the strength of EDF’s negotiating position, saying there were three consortia interested in building nuclear power stations in the UK.
When asked whether EDF had the government “over a barrel”, Davey insisted “absolutely not”. He declined to say how long it would take to strike an agreement. “Anyone who puts a deadline on negotiations gets a bad deal,” he said.
EDF’s plans for a new nuclear plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset are the most advanced, he admitted. However, he noted Hitachi, which last year bought into the Horizon project, had “an extremely good track record of delivering on time and on budget”. That was in implicit contrast to EDF, which has seen the cost of its Flamanville plant in France double.
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