Hinkley Point C Reactor

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 7:04 pm on 8 March 2016.

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Photo of George Kerevan George Kerevan Scottish National Party, East Lothian 7:04, 8 March 2016

I could not agree more with my hon. Friend. Originally, the two Hinkley C reactors were designed to be off-the-shelf copies of the reactor being built by EDF in Normandy. That has not happened. There have been significant changes. In fact, the way the EPR reactor has to be built—on site, piece by piece; it will be unique—leaves massive margins of error for cost overrun. Who is underwriting any cost overruns? The Chancellor of the Exchequer has given a partial capital guarantee that if there is any problem in the construction phase, the British taxpayer will start to pick up the bill.