Home / Business and Economy / Hinkley Point C Delay Adds €2.5bn to EDF's Costs
Hinkley Point C Delay Adds €2.5bn to EDF's Costs
20 Feb
Summary
- Hinkley Point C will now start operations in 2030, a year later than planned.
- The latest delay increases the project's total cost to £35bn.
- This impacts EDF's full-year earnings, which fell to over €29bn for 2025.
Operations at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset are now expected to commence in 2030, a year behind the previous schedule. This latest setback will incur an additional cost of €2.5bn for the French utility company EDF. The project's total construction cost has risen to £35bn, nearly doubling the initial 2016 estimate.
EDF's chief executive described the revised forecasts as more realistic, placing the operational start within a previously indicated range. Despite the delays and escalating costs, Hinkley Point C is projected to supply approximately 7% of the UK's electricity demand upon completion. EDF's financial performance for 2025 reflected these challenges, with earnings declining to over €29bn from €36bn the prior year.
The UK government views new nuclear plants like Hinkley Point C as crucial for reducing fossil fuel reliance and meeting climate targets. However, the project, along with EDF's similar plant in Flamanville, France, has experienced significant overruns in both time and budget. These issues impact EDF's capacity as it prepares for new reactor constructions in France and the development of the Sizewell C project.
