The UK government has confirmed the go-ahead for the new Sizewell C nuclear power plant in Suffolk, backing the programme with a £700 million ($842 million) stake.
The move, which ministers said would create 10,000 highly skilled jobs and provide reliable, low-carbon power to the equivalent of six million homes for five decades, is the first state backing of a nuclear project in more than 30 years.
The government also said it would set up an arms-length body, Great British Nuclear, which would develop a pipeline of nuclear projects beyond Sizewell C.
The plant in Suffolk, developed by French energy company EDF, will be the second of a new generation of nuclear power reactors, after the delayed Hinkley Point C programme in Somerset, which is under construction but has had costs climb since it was first given the go-ahead.
EDF’s chief executive Simone Rossi said replicating Hinkley Point C’s design at Sizewell would provide more certainty over schedule and costs.
“It will deliver another big boost to jobs and skills in the nuclear industry and provide huge new opportunities for communities in Suffolk,” she said.
The announcement comes after ministers also set out plans to reduce energy demand by 15 per cent by 2030, with a new £1 billion Eco+ energy efficiency programme and a public awareness campaign, previously blocked under Liz Truss’s administration as being too “nanny state”, to help save energy this winter.
EDF's Hinkley Point C in south-west England is expected to come online in 2026 — the first new plant in more than 20 years. EDF has said Sizewell could cost 20 per cent less than Hinkley, which is currently budgeted at £25-£26 billion ($29.9-$30 billion).
It also comes as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing pressure, including from some Tory MPs, to make an about-turn on plans to keep the ban on onshore wind, one of the cheapest forms of energy.
Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Global gas prices are at record highs, caused by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s illegal march on Ukraine.
“We need more clean, affordable power generated within our borders — British energy for British homes.
“Today’s historic deal giving government backing to Sizewell C’s development is crucial to this, moving us towards greater energy independence and away from the risks that a reliance on volatile global energy markets for our supply comes with.”
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who announced the intention to push ahead with the project in the autumn statement, said the investment plans were the “biggest step on our journey to energy independence”.
He said that once the “mega project” is complete, it will power millions of homes with “clean, affordable, home-grown energy for decades to come”.
Downing Street on Tuesday declined to get into specific details about the exit of China General Nuclear from the project or the size of the buyout costs.
Asked if the government could rule out Chinese involvement in future nuclear energy projects, Mr Sunak’s official spokesman said: “I think we would need to make a judgment on what is right for the UK.”
He added that the government “certainly wouldn’t do anything that put UK security at risk and indeed our focus is on enhancing our energy independence”.
Later, Mr Shapps told the House of Commons that China has been “bought out of the deal on Sizewell and the money yesterday ensured that they are no longer involved in this particular development”.
But responding to a call from chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee Julian Lewis for ministers to confirm an end to “future dependency on China for our nuclear power stations”, Mr Shapps said: “We don’t have a principled objection apart from where issues of national security are concerned and things like energy provision are very much in our sights.”
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The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
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More coverage from the Future Forum
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
Scoreline
Liverpool 3
Mane (7'), Salah (69'), Firmino (90')
Bournemouth 0
MATCH INFO
Wales 1 (Bale 45 3')
Croatia 1 (Vlasic 09')
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
Recipe: Spirulina Coconut Brothie
Ingredients
1 tbsp Spirulina powder
1 banana
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (full fat preferable)
1 tbsp fresh turmeric or turmeric powder
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup vegan broth
2 crushed ice cubes (optional)
Method
Blend all the ingredients together on high in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Release Date: April 10
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
List of alleged parties
May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff
May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'
Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff
Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party
Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters
Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
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Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
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