Austria has filed a long-expected legal challenge to the funding mechanism put in place for the Hinkley Point C nuclear build in southwest England, which was approved by the European Commission in October.
The British government said it would support an elevated price for electricity generated at the plant for 35 years, which would provide assurances to Electricite de France (EDF) that it could afford to build the two-reactors known as Hinkley Point C. That project, originally expected to cost $24. 9 billion, is now expected to cost $37.8 billion, according to media reports.
The EC approved the funding plan in October. The British government, expecting the legal challenge, has said the funding deal is “legally robust.”
Those in support of the deal also say it is up to Britain to choose its sources of electricity. Austria, which has no nuclear power plants, has called nuclear power archaic, stating that the EC, in order to support technologically advanced systems, should focus on renewable sources, such as solar and wind power.
"Instead of funding unsafe and costly energy forms that are outdated, we have to support Europe's energy turnaround with the expansion of renewable energies," said Austrian Environment Minister Andrae Rupprechter.
Nuclear energy should “not be artificially resuscitated through state subsidies,” the environment minister said.
A coalition that includes the environmental group Greenpeace and nine German and Austrian companies invested in renewable energy has also filed a lawsuit challenging the Hinkley Point C funding subsidy. Both lawsuits have been filed at the European Court of Justice.