French energy group EDF on Friday raised the budget for the long-delayed Hinkley Point C nuclear plant in Britain, saying construction costs were now estimated at 35 billion pounds ($47 billion), with the first reactor due to come online in 2030.The new budget is above the range of 31-34 billion pounds announced in January 2024, and well above the initial estimate of 18 billion pounds when the project was launched in 2016.
The new starting date falls inside the range of 2029 and 2031 that EDF gave in a January 2024 update.
Hinkley Point C is one of a small number of European Pressurised Reactors (EPRs) worldwide, a next-generation design from EDF that has been plagued by massive cost overruns and construction delays.
France's only EPR project to date, at Flamanville in Normandy, has also suffered delays and budget overruns.
