The go-ahead for a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point is expected to be announced this evening, triggering a multi-billion pound boost for the West of England’s economy.
The board of French energy company EDF is expected to approve the £18bn plant – which will take 10 years to build – later today after years of delay. 
It will be the single biggest development project in a generation and one that could trigger an estimated £50bn worth of contracts for local firms over the next two decades as well as making the region a centre of excellence for the nuclear industry.
Some 25,000 jobs will be created by the Hinkley C project, the UK’s first new nuclear power station for a generation, with at least 5,000 people from Somerset expected to work directly on the project, providing a £40m boost to the local economy every year.
Chinese state-owned China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) is paying EDF Energy £6bn for a one-third stake in Hinkley C, which will be built alongside the existing Hinkley nuclear plants on the Somerset coast near Bridgwater.
The new plant will provide 7% of the UK’s electricity over its estimated 60-year lifespan and is scheduled to go online in 2025 – several years later than planned.
The decision to build the new plant has been slammed by environmental groups, which have called for more investment in renewable energy sources.
Controversy over the cost of the plant continued up to the 11th hour when EDF director Gérard Magnin resigned ahead of this evening’s meeting, calling the Hinkley Point project “very risky”. His resignation follows that of EDF chief financial official Thomas Piquemal earlier this year over the cost of the project.
More on this story and full reaction follows later . . .
