http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/16/world/europe/britain-hinkley-point.html 2016-09-15 09:49:11 Hinkley Point Nuclear Plant Will Go Ahead, Britain Says The project, financed in part with French and Chinese investment, had been postponed, angering its international partners. === LONDON — The British government announced on Thursday that it would push ahead with a contentious deal to build a nuclear power station financed in part with French and Chinese investment, after angering its international partners by postponing the plan in July. The move came after a comprehensive review of the Hinkley Point C project, In one of her first significant moves since taking office, Prime Minister Theresa May decided to review the construction of the $24 billion nuclear power plant in Somerset, on security and economic grounds. The costs of canceling the project at such a late stage would have been considerable: EDF would have claimed compensation after spending large amounts on development and construction; trade with China would have almost certainly suffered; and Hinkley is crucial for Britain to avoid an energy shortage in the future. The delay caused tension with the French government because EDF had approved funding for the project despite serious concerns about the company’s ability to absorb the huge costs. The Chinese leadership was also angered by the move, which was seen as a calculated shift away from the policy toward Beijing cultivated by Mrs. May’s predecessor, David Cameron, who courted China despite geopolitical, security and human rights concerns. Xinhua, the Chinese state news agency, said in a commentary published in response to the announcement of the review that the delay added “uncertainties to the ‘Golden Era’ of China-U.K. ties.” “China can wait for a rational British government to make responsible decisions,” the commentary said, “but cannot tolerate any unwanted accusation against its sincere and benign willingness for win-win cooperation.” China is providing financing for about one-third of the Hinkley Point project, but the deal would allow the country to build and operate a nuclear power plant of its own design at another site in Britain, at Bradwell-on-Sea, in Essex. The two plants would give China an important stake, and potentially a measure of control, over a significant part of Britain’s energy supply. Mrs. May met President Xi Jinping of China at the meeting of Group of 20 leaders this month, and she may have received direct reassurances from him, perhaps over security concerns. Environmentalists have criticized the project to build the Hinkley plant, which is intended to produce 3,200 megawatts — enough to power six million homes, or about 7 percent of Britain’s energy needs — with two new French reactors at a cost of at least 18 billion pounds, or about $24 billion. Opponents of the power plant argued that it represented poor value for money and that British taxpayers would end up paying higher prices for energy. British trade unions had also criticized the decision to delay the project, mindful of the jobs that would have been at risk.