What is Sizewell C and how will it be paid for? Campaigners challenge new plant

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ampaigners have told the High Court that the Government‘s decision to support the Sizewell C nuclear power plant plan was “unlawful” and should be overturned.

Business Secretary Grant Shapps announced a £700 million Government investment in the Suffolk coast project last year.

Protest group Together Against Sizewell C said the Government neglected to consider potential environmental effects. But the Government said it made “legitimate planning judgments”.

The two-reactor plant was given Government approval in July of last year, when Boris Johnson was prime minister, and EDF Energy said it could supply 7 per cent of the UK’s electricity requirements.

So what is Sizewell C, can it help with bills this winter, and where will the rest of the money for the plant come from?

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Boris Johnson looks at plans for the Sizewell C nuclear power station project in 2022

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Proponents of the system say this will reduce risks for investors, and therefore they will receive lower-interest loans from their banks.

But opponents say that the system has also led to disaster elsewhere, and that the cost would be added to already record energy bills immediately, rather than in a decade.

“The funding model adopted to pay for it was tried in the USA, and North Carolina households are still paying for a nuclear reactor that was never built as the company went bust,” said Dr Doug Parr, chief scientist at Greenpeace UK.

Will Sizewell C reduce my energy bill?

Not in the short term. The funding model means it is likely to add an extra few pounds to the average energy bill when construction starts.

However, in the long run prices are likely to fall because of the project, says Aurora Energy Research, an expert outfit founded by University of Oxford professors.