MOSCOW, October 8 (RIA Novosti) - The European Commission has approved the construction of a nuclear power plant in Somerset, UK, the first nuclear plant to be built in the European Union in almost 20 years, the European Commission said in a press release, published on Wednesday.
"The European Commission has found revised UK plans to subsidise the construction and operation of a new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset to be in line with EU state aid rules," the statement read.
"After the Commission's intervention, the UK measures in favour of Hinkley Point nuclear power station have been significantly modified, limiting any distortions of competition in the Single Market. These modifications will also achieve significant savings for UK taxpayers," the Commission Vice-President Joaquín Almunia said, as quoted in the statement.
According to the European Commission the construction of a new nuclear power will begin in 2023 and will cost more than $39 billion. The two reactors of the plant are expected to produce 3.3 GW of electricity or 7 percent of the UK electricity generation.
British media reports suggest that the project is set to create up to 25,000 jobs in its lifetime of 60 years.
The decision to construct a nuclear power plant in UK has been criticized by the Austrian government, upholding Austria's nuclear-free stance. "Nuclear energy isn't a sustainable energy source. Hinkley Point is setting a negative precedence because guaranteed feed-in tariffs were so far reserved for renewable energy," Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann and Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner said in a joint statement as quoted by Bloomberg.
According to the European Commission there currently are 132 operating nuclear reactors in 14 EU member states.
