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Prime minister David Cameron and the French president Nicolas Sarkozy today made a bid to repair relations and attract positive headlines by signing an agreement on nuclear power that has long been in the offing. EDF aims to build four new nuclear plants in the UK. Today's agreement formalises UK-France cooperation.
Areva earlier confirmed that Rolls Royce will supply up to £100 million of components for each of the four new plants that EDF intends to build in the UK. Robert Davies, vice president of new build in the UK told the BBC’s Today programme said that the deals were just the start of the work, and that UK firms would gain export opportunities as a result. He reiterated EDF Energy’s claims that the four UK EPRs could be built for around £20 billion, suggesting that the economy of scale could shave several billion off construction costs.
Ahead of the signing the agreement Cameron said the deal would create more than 1,500 UK jobs, and that he wanted the “vast majority of the content of our nuclear plant content” to be British.
The agreement also formalised a new engineering contract between EDF and Kier/BAM for the UK’s first proposed new nuclear project at Hinkley Point, Somerset. It could be worth up to £100 million.
EDF also said it would build a new £15 million training centre in Bridgwater, Somerset.
Energy secretary Ed Davey said the UK’s new build programme in total “could be worth around £60billion and create up to 30,000 jobs”.
Yet despite today’s agreement, EDF has still not confirmed it will fund research by the local authorities to scrutinise its plans for the new reactor at Hinkley point. Earlier this week Sedgemoor District Council said it had postponed setting council tax for the year because it had not received assurance from EDF that it would fund the scrutiny. The council wants £2 million.
“Whilst the community welcomes the potential for local investment and jobs these developments could bring, it is essential we do not disenfranchise the community, who are bearing the impact of this nationally beneficial infrastructure, by pre-empting the process being undertaken through the formal planning system,” said leader of the Council Duncan McGintty.
The council hopes to come to an agreement with EDF by the end of next week.
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