Britain's $240 billion nuclear power plant project finally collapsed, China's problem?

On October 21, 2015, China General Nuclear Power Group and EDF France joined the UK nuclear power plant project, but only a few years later, China decisively announced its withdrawal, resulting in the final suspension of the project. So what's the problem?

As a leader in the first and second industrial revolutions, the UK has always had a voice in science and technology.

However, the development of nuclear technology in Britain is not satisfactory.

Although the United Kingdom built a number of nuclear power plants in the middle of the last century and is a pioneer in the world's nuclear energy field, the problem of retrogression of nuclear energy technology is very serious.

In addition, there have been many problems with the previously built nuclear power plants, and many nuclear leakage accidents have triggered public concern.

Faced with these challenges, the UK government urgently needs to address the issue of electricity supply.

To solve the power shortage, the British government has launched a £240 billion nuclear power plant project, the "Hinkley Point C" project.

The project, which aims to meet around 7% of the UK's electricity needs, is seen as an important step towards tackling power shortages.

Because of its own technological regression, the UK needs to seek international partners. Edf took on the project and started looking for a partner.

However, because of the EPR reactor technology required for the project, only China General Nuclear's technology met the requirements, so China General Nuclear became a suitable partner.

At the invitation of French power company EDF, China General Nuclear Power Group successfully joined the UK nuclear power plant project.

On October 21, 2015, China and the UK officially signed an investment agreement in London, announcing that China General Nuclear Power Group and EDF will jointly build the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station project.

However, the project encountered many challenges from the beginning. In 2016, the United Kingdom announced "Brexit", which caused the construction progress to be affected.

Subsequently, the British government conducted a review of the project on the grounds of "national security", further extending the construction period of the project.

In addition, the British government also asked China General Nuclear to bear more construction funds, and limited the choice of materials used in the project, further increasing the cost and difficulty of the project.

Finally, in 2019, the British government banned Huawei's 5G technology under pressure from the United States, further aggravating tensions between China and the United Kingdom.

In the face of political hostility and rising project costs, China General Nuclear Power Corporation finally decided to pull out of Hinkley Point C.

The withdrawal of CGN led to the project's suspension, leaving Britain and France struggling to find a new partner to take over the project.

Even American and Japanese nuclear companies are reluctant to take on the project because of political and environmental uncertainties in the UK.

As a result, the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant project has been stalled indefinitely due to CGN's withdrawal.