Delays Hit U.K.'s Hinkley Point C Nuclear Project Again

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

Summary

Delays strike again at the U.K.'s leading new nuclear project with the startup of Hinkley Point C being pushed out to 2030.

Delays Strike Again

The U.K.'s first new nuclear power plant in a generation has been hit by more delays and price increases. 

The startup date for the Hinkley Point C project in Somerset, England, has been pushed back a year to 2030 by French developer EDF. This latest delay will cost 2.5 billion euro (US$3.3 billion), stated EDF, and pushes the project price to £35 billion (US$47 billion) - in 2015 prices - almost double the £18 billion (US$24.2 billion) price tag when the project started 13 years ago. Considering inflation over the past decade, final costs are expected to be noticeably higher. EDF Chairman Bernard Fontana told investors in a recent financial-results call that the new deadline was "more realistic." Industrial Info reported in early 2024 that the Hinkley project was facing delays of up to four years and a potential price hike of up to a third, bringing the eventual cost to £46 billion (US$56.4 billion). For additional information, see February 5, 2024, article - U.K.'s Only New Nuclear Plant Faces Major Delays and Cost Hike. Last year, the company denied reports that project costs had doubled at Hinkley Point C.  For additional information, see January 29, 2025, article - EDF Denies New U.K. Nuclear Project Costs Have Doubled. 

The Importance Hinkley Point C   

Hinkley Point C will use two European Pressurized Reactors (EPR) reactors with a combined generating capacity of 3,300 megawatts (MW), capable of supplying 7% of the country's electricity needs. It is the first nuclear plant to be constructed in the U.K. in more than 30 years and is the poster-child for the government's planned expansion of nuclear power in its energy mix. The issue is that the U.K. has five old nuclear power stations, managed by EDF, and all are due to be decommissioned before Hinkley Point C starts. Last year, they accounted for roughly 12% of the U.K.'s total power demand, but that figure was down 12% on 2024 due to extended outages. The government is promising a new 'golden age' for nuclear power and has invested in a sister project, Sizewell C. For additional information, see June 16, 2025, article - U.K. Commits $19 Billion to New Nuclear Plant. Sizewell C will be almost identical to Hinkley Point C, with a capacity of 3.2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity--enough to power the equivalent of about 6 million homes. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can click here for the report. 

Progress in 2025

According to EDF, despite the delay, the Hinkley project progressed well in 2025. "The 245-tonne steel dome was lifted onto Unit 2 in July 2025," the company stated. "The 14-metre-tall dome closes the 44-metre-high reactor building, allowing its fit-out to accelerate. The second reactor pressure vessel was dispatched from Framatome's factory at Saint Marcel in early December. The 13-metre-high vessel weighs in at 500 tonnes and will house the reactor core and all associated components. Civil construction on Unit 1 is now 95% complete. Installation rates on Unit 1 for the mechanical, electrical, heating and ventilation services (MEH) phase doubled in quarter four. The project continues to generate huge social and economic benefits, with 26,000 jobs supported across Britain during 2025 and over 14,000 people trained so far, including 1,700 apprentices. Lessons learned during the construction of Hinkley Point C continue to be shared with the Sizewell C project in Suffolk, to ensure the economic benefits of repeating a proven design are delivered."  

The High Cost of U.K. Nuclear

A government-sponsored report last year found that the U.K. was the "most expensive place in the world" to build nuclear power plants and that a radical reset of the regulatory system was needed. It stated that: "The U.K. was historically a global pioneer in nuclear energy. It was the first country to produce commercial power from a nuclear source and a leader in nuclear defence. Today, it has become the most expensive place in the world to build nuclear projects. Both civil and defence programmes suffer from large cost overruns and schedule delays. Regulation is central to this relative decline. The increasing complexity and risk aversion of our regulatory system has contributed to a weakening of the U.K.'s leadership and competitiveness." The head of the review, John Fingleton, the former head of the Office of Fair Trading, said that: "Our solutions are radical, but necessary. By simplifying regulation, we can maintain or enhance safety standards while finally delivering nuclear capacity safely, quickly, and affordably."

Key Takeaways

• Hinkley Point C start-up delayed another year to 2030.
• Cost of delay has pushed the price tag up to £35 billion (US$47 billion).
• U.K.'s old nuclear fleet will cease operations before 2030.

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Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).