[Osem]

Problem solved?... or maybe not...

The future of the planned new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point remains in doubt as key French unions still oppose the project, BBC Newsnight has learned.

EDF, which would build the plant, had delayed a decision on the project in Somerset until the summer while it consulted French union representatives.

The company, which is 85% French state-owned, had hoped to win support from a committee of workplace representatives.

But the committee said staff had not been reassured about the plant's costs.

Trade union representatives hold six of the 18 seats on EDF's board.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36394601

Anyway it's good to know that it's proven, reliable, technology already successfully up and running on time/in budget elsewhere and that the main players are fully behind it...

Hinkley Point C, which would provide 7% of the UK's total energy requirements, had originally been meant to open in 2017.

But it has been hit in recent months by concerns about EDF's financial capacity to handle the project.

While one third of the £18bn capital costs of the project are being met by Chinese investors, Hinkley Point would remain an enormous undertaking for the stressed French company.

In April, French Energy Minister Ségolène Royale also suggested the project should be delayed.

Much of this scepticism is the consequence of problems in constructing nuclear power stations to similar designs elsewhere.

A plant being built by EDF at Flamanville in Normandy, northern France, has been hit by years of delays and spiralling costs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPR_(nuclear_reactor)

The EPR is a third generation pressurized water reactor (PWR) design. It has been designed and developed mainly by Framatome (now Areva NP) and Électricité de France (EDF) in France, and Siemens in Germany. In Europe this reactor design was called European Pressurized Reactor, and the internationalized name was Evolutionary Power Reactor, but it is now simply named EPR.

Four EPR units are under construction. The first two, in Finland and France, are both facing costly construction delays (to at least 2018). Construction commenced on two Chinese units in 2009 and 2010.[1] The Chinese units were to start operation in 2014 and 2015,[2] but are now expected to come online in 2017.[3]

EDF has acknowledged severe difficulties in building the EPR design. In September 2015 EDF stated that the design of a "New Model" EPR was being worked on, which will be easier and cheaper to build.[4]