State-owned EDF will invest "around pound1.1 billion ($1.5 billion) for a 12.5-percent participation", the French government said in a statement regarding the project that is aimed at meeting Britain's net zero and energy security targets.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a separate statement that the investment will help deliver "lower energy bills" and "better energy security" for Britain.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband added that "thousands of jobs and clean power for millions of homes are one step closer... as we welcome this investment into Sizewell C -- delivering a golden age of new nuclear".

He added that the "agreement is a landmark moment in the UK and France's long-standing partnership in civil nuclear".

The announcement comes after Starmer's Labour government in June said it would invest pound14.2 billion in Sizewell C, which is being built in eastern England.

The UK has refocused on shoring up nuclear power since the start of the war in Ukraine, in the name of energy security and faced with a fleet of ageing power stations.

Britain's government is the majority shareholder in Sizewell C after Chinese company CGN exited the project.

The plant, which is set to cost pound20-30 billion to build according to current estimates, is not expected to start generating electricity until 2035.

Labour wants to increase nuclear power's share of the energy mix, as it does not emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The UK government has pledged by 2035 to reduce UK greenhouse gas emissions by 81 percent on 1990 levels, under plans to reach net-zero by 2050.

The use of nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuels is highly controversial, however, with many environmental groups warning about safety risks and the disposal of nuclear waste.

The Sizewell C announcement has been met with anger by some local residents worried about the impact of the new plant on the local town of Leiston in Suffolk.

Near to Sizewell C is the Sizewell B nuclear power station which is due to close in 2035 -- and Sizewell A which is in the process of being decommissioned.

EDF is also building the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in southwestern England, although it has been blighted by delays and rising construction costs.

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