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Released July 21, 2025 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--France's Electricité de France (EDF) (Paris, France) has agreed to invest up to 1.1 billion pounds (US$1.5 billion) for a 12.5% stake in the U.K.'s next nuclear power project, Sizewell C in Suffolk, England.
The French company, which is already building the identical Hinkley Point C nuclear project in Somerset, said that "investment would be made at the time of the final investment decision by the project once the negotiation of agreements with the U.K. Government and investors are finalized. It will help to provide the United Kingdom with new low-carbon production capacity that will be competitive in the long term. The Sizewell C project will enable the industry to develop its skills and benefit from series effect and feedback experience with the European Pressurized Reactor-2 (EPR2) programme in France. It will benefit the French sector and the construction programme of 6 new EPR2 reactors." EDF is the first private investor in the project.
Like Hinkley Point C, it will feature two EPR2 reactors from EDF that will produce 3.2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, enough to power the equivalent of around 6 million homes. A final investment decision is expected later this summer. Last month Industrial Info reported that the U.K. government was backing Sizewell C by committing £14.2 billion (US$19 billion) to its construction, promising a "golden age" for nuclear power. For additional information, see June 16, 2025, article - U.K. Commits $19 Billion to New Nuclear Plant.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: "I've been clear there will be no more dithering and delay on Sizewell C -- and this investment takes us a step closer to the benefits it will bring to the British people. Lower energy bills, thousands more jobs and apprenticeships, and better energy security -- this is not only a vote of confidence in the U.K. as an investment destination, it is our Plan for Change in action."
EDF is the majority owner (66.5%) of Hinkley Point C along with China's China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) (Shenzhen). In 2016, EDF had signed an agreement to develop Sizewell C with CGN in an 80:20 partnership but the U.K. later put a stop to Chinese investments in major U.K. infrastructure projects following the souring of U.K.-China relations. Other investors are expected to emerge in the coming months. The Financial Times reported recently that Canadian investment house Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP (Toronto, Ontario) will take a potential 20-25% stake in the project while U.K. gas company Centrica plc (Windsor, England) is tipped to take a 15% stake. Neither firm has confirmed their plans officially. Hinkley Point C, like many of the existing EPR-related projects, has run into major delays and cost overruns with its final price tag now expected to be £46 billion (US$62 billion). EDF has denied that Sizewell C will cost that much, which would be more than double its original estimate. For additional information, see January 29, 2025, article - EDF Denies New U.K. Nuclear Project Costs Have Doubled.
Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, welcomed EDF's Sizewell C investment pledge: "This is a historic investment that will help deliver the first true replica power station in British nuclear history. That replication is the best way proven to cut cost, speed up construction and deliver the jobs and energy security the country needs. Sizewell C will be a huge engine of economic growth in our industrial heartlands and form the bedrock of a more competitive energy system for the rest of this century."
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 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
The French company, which is already building the identical Hinkley Point C nuclear project in Somerset, said that "investment would be made at the time of the final investment decision by the project once the negotiation of agreements with the U.K. Government and investors are finalized. It will help to provide the United Kingdom with new low-carbon production capacity that will be competitive in the long term. The Sizewell C project will enable the industry to develop its skills and benefit from series effect and feedback experience with the European Pressurized Reactor-2 (EPR2) programme in France. It will benefit the French sector and the construction programme of 6 new EPR2 reactors." EDF is the first private investor in the project.
Like Hinkley Point C, it will feature two EPR2 reactors from EDF that will produce 3.2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, enough to power the equivalent of around 6 million homes. A final investment decision is expected later this summer. Last month Industrial Info reported that the U.K. government was backing Sizewell C by committing £14.2 billion (US$19 billion) to its construction, promising a "golden age" for nuclear power. For additional information, see June 16, 2025, article - U.K. Commits $19 Billion to New Nuclear Plant.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: "I've been clear there will be no more dithering and delay on Sizewell C -- and this investment takes us a step closer to the benefits it will bring to the British people. Lower energy bills, thousands more jobs and apprenticeships, and better energy security -- this is not only a vote of confidence in the U.K. as an investment destination, it is our Plan for Change in action."
EDF is the majority owner (66.5%) of Hinkley Point C along with China's China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) (Shenzhen). In 2016, EDF had signed an agreement to develop Sizewell C with CGN in an 80:20 partnership but the U.K. later put a stop to Chinese investments in major U.K. infrastructure projects following the souring of U.K.-China relations. Other investors are expected to emerge in the coming months. The Financial Times reported recently that Canadian investment house Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP (Toronto, Ontario) will take a potential 20-25% stake in the project while U.K. gas company Centrica plc (Windsor, England) is tipped to take a 15% stake. Neither firm has confirmed their plans officially. Hinkley Point C, like many of the existing EPR-related projects, has run into major delays and cost overruns with its final price tag now expected to be £46 billion (US$62 billion). EDF has denied that Sizewell C will cost that much, which would be more than double its original estimate. For additional information, see January 29, 2025, article - EDF Denies New U.K. Nuclear Project Costs Have Doubled.
Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, welcomed EDF's Sizewell C investment pledge: "This is a historic investment that will help deliver the first true replica power station in British nuclear history. That replication is the best way proven to cut cost, speed up construction and deliver the jobs and energy security the country needs. Sizewell C will be a huge engine of economic growth in our industrial heartlands and form the bedrock of a more competitive energy system for the rest of this century."
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 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
