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EDF bosses called back to Parliament to explain further Hinkley delay

Following reports indicating the French energy company EDF will not make a decision on the Hinkley Point C nuclear project until autumn this year, EDF executives have been called back to parliament to explain why they have further delayed making an investment decision on the planned £18bn project.

MPs on the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee are angry at the French economy minister, Emmanuel Macron, who has said that the final decision could be delayed until September, which is four months later than expected. EDF was grilled by the committee in March over the company dragging its heels on a funding decision for Hinkley Point and it is now likely that they will face MPs again. 

Angus MacNeil, the chair of the committee, said: “When EDF appeared before us in March, company bosses were insisting that a decision would be made in May. At that hearing, we said that we would call them back in if that timetable slipped again and that’s what we are doing now. 

“If Hinkley does not go ahead, it could have huge implications for our future energy security and efforts to cut climate-changing emissions. We will therefore be watching progress on this closely. If we have to see EDF back here in September as well, we will,” said MacNeil.

The committee said it expected the latest hearing to take place in late May.

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