A member of Emmanuel Macron’s cabinet has shamelessly demanded that British taxpayers cough up more cash for nuclear power stations. In a move that has ignited a cross-channel spat, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has demanded that Britain contributes additional funds to cover the soaring costs of nuclear power plants being constructed in the UK by French energy giant EDF.
Le Maire made the infuriating request during an International Energy Agency ministerial meeting in Paris, indicating that he would seek “an equitable sharing of costs” for projects such as Hinkley Point C in Somerset and Sizewell C in Suffolk.
The cost of Hinkley Point C has skyrocketed to £46billion, a substantial increase from the initially proposed £18billion when contracts were signed in 2016, prompting concerns and discussions about who should bear the financial burden of the overruns.
Responding to the French minister’s demand, Claire Coutinho, the UK’s Energy Secretary, stressed that Hinkley Point C is not a government project and insisted that any additional costs or schedule overruns are the responsibility of EDF and its partners, with no impact on taxpayers.
Tory MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg expressed his fury over the matter, telling Express.co.uk: “A very favourable and expensive contract was signed for the construction of Hinkley Point, and the French counterpart ought to stick to it.
“That the French Government had caused financial difficulties for EDF is not the fault of the UK taxpayer.”
Meanwhile, Charles-Henri Gallois, leader of the Generation Frexit movement, took the opportunity to criticise the European Union’s role in the situation.
He told Express.co.uk: “You wouldn’t have over-costs if the EU had not undermined nuclear energy as much as it has. France would have produced in series, as it did in the 70s, and it would have been less costly and quicker.”
Gallois added: “The EU message was clear: France cannot increase its nuclear production if it wants to fit in. So we underinvested in nuclear and overinvested in wind and solar energies that are not efficient. It’s the German model, which is a disaster.”
