The new £16bn Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant project will see EDF bringing in Chinese construction consultants to work with construction workers from the UK.


The Chinesse consultants being tipped for inclusion in the project have built the same types of nuclear reactors previously in a city in China called Taishan and will therefore bring a breadsth of experience to the UK, where there has been limited investment in the nuclear energy sector in recent times.


The announcement by EDF that they’d agreed a deal to let Chinese firms take a 40% stake in the scheme saw the construction industry fearful that all the development work would be farmed out to Chinese companies, as happens in many third world countries.


The position of the Chinese construction consultants should be one of collaboration and knowledge sharing to enable Britain to redevelop the knowledge and skillsets required for nuclear power plant construction and associated engineering and calls from Chinese investors for elements of the manufacturing processes to be handled in China have been dismissed due to the UK’s strict nuclear regulatory system.