Energy security

Huge British Nuclear Project Becomes a Diplomatic Flash Point

Once considered a vital part of Britain’s clean-energy future, the beleaguered Hinkley Point nuclear plant project looked further than ever from becoming reality this week as a row erupted between the three countries developing the massive facility: the United Kingdom, France, and China.

Originally launched in 2013, Hinkley Point is projected to cost 18 billion pounds ($23.2 billion) and will supply power at $119.40 per megawatt-hour—more than twice the price of wholesale electricity in Britain today. British officials have raised concerns over the involvement of China General Nuclear Power Company (CGNPC), the state-owned nuclear giant putting up one-third of the project’s cost, in light of the indictment of a Chinese-American nuclear engineer charged with spying for the company. Allen Ho, a naturalized American citizen, was charged in April with “conspiracy to unlawfully engage and participate in the production and development of special nuclear material outside the United States, without the required authorization from the U.S. Department of Energy.”