Britain’s outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged £700 million (€812 million) in government funding to build a new nuclear power plant in the east of the country.
Johnson said in a speech on Thursday that it was just part of a total of £1.7 billion in government money available for the development of a major nuclear project. The proposed Sizewell C nuclear power plant will create “tens of thousands of jobs,” he said.
In July, the British government approved the construction of the Sizewell C nuclear power plant. The plant should have an output of 3200 megawatts and be able to supply six million households.
The French energy company EDF is in charge of the construction and holds 80 percent of the project. The remaining 20 percent are held by the Chinese state-owned company CGN.
It would be “madness” not to move forward with the project, which would “meet the energy needs of not just this generation but the next generation,” Johnson said.
He advised betting on nuclear power and on Sizewell C “with the prophetic frankness and clarity of a man who is about to pass the torch of office,” the prime minister added. Next Tuesday he will vacate the office for his successor.
