Hinkley Point C to open later than scheduled and will cost an extra £500m

The new nuclear power station being built in Somerset by EDF, Hinkley Point C, is now set to open later than expected and will now cost an extra £500m in order to be completed.

The construction site in Bridgwater has had a series of delays in recent years, but the French energy firm has insisted that it has made progress since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following today’s news, the nuclear plant will open in June 2026 and the total cost could hit more than £23bn. Previous costings for the site had been between £18bn and £22.5bn.

This would now mean that the construction would take a decade from receiving government approval in 2016 – and 15 years after plans were submitted.

Once the site is complete, it will generate electricity for up to six million homes across the UK.

EDF gave the below update on the site earlier today;