Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2021 to Question 21957 on Hinkley Point C Power Station, what the reason was for the delay reported by EDF in the project update statement.

The COVID-19 health crisis has had a significant impact on progress for Hinkley Point C, although construction work has continued on site. In January 2021, EDF carried out a detailed review of the schedule to estimate the impact due to the pandemic so far. The review concluded that the start of electricity generation from the first unit at Hinkley Point C is now expected in June 2026, compared to the end of 2025 as announced by EDF in 2016.