EDF experts confident 'no delay' to nuclear projects

By Tom Mcghie
Updated: 14:41 EDT, 19 March 2011

Japan's radiation crisis is unlikely to delay significantly Britain's £50bn nuclear plant rebuilding programme, industry experts told Financial Mail.

EDF: Constructing power plants in Suffolk and Somerset

Senior executives at energy giant EDF Energy, which is constructing nuclear power stations at Hinkley Point, Somerset, and Sizewell, Suffolk, are confident that the project will proceed virtually on schedule.

There had been suggestions that a major safety review of existing and new power plants, due to report in September, would severely delay Britain's new nuclear programme on which 100,000 jobs depend.

The disaster in Japan has added to public concerns, but EDF believes it has received enough signals from the Government to predict that the crisis would delay the overall nuclear programme in Britain by 'a couple of weeks' at the most.

Any lengthy delay would raise fears of an energy crunch, with old inefficient and environmentally unfriendly power stations being closed while replacement power sources had yet to be built.

In the face of an 'energy gap', EDF boss Vincent de Rivaz has warned that there could be power shortages and blackouts.

He has pledged to co-operate fully with the inquiry, which is being led by chief nuclear inspector Mike Weightman.

De Rivaz said his enthusiasm for the nuclear project 'was undimmed' and he added that while EDF should learn lessons from Japan, 'we should not delay our progress'.

While EDF is keen to press ahead, the nuclear industry is cautious and believes that public confidence in nuclear power has taken a knock.