French nuclear giant Electricite de France said Wednesday that it would cut 400 jobs at the Hinkley Point C construction site until it gets a clear indication that financing for the project is secured.
To date, about 650 workers at the site in Somerset, England, have worked on preparatory activities, including earthworks, drainage works and culvert construction, concrete production facilities and welfare facilities and roadworks, EDF said.
In a statement, EDF said it had “invested significantly in a series of preparatory activities,” to get ready for the construction of a two-reactor 3,200 MW power station that is estimated to cost more than $23 billion.
The 400 workers being laid off were all contracted workers, the Construction Enquirer reported. The remaining 250 workers will finish several roadwork projects that have already begun, including the Taunton Road in Bridgwater, a roundabout in West Somerset and the Cannington bypass.
An earth moving contract worth about $150 million has been assigned to the joint venture of Bam Nuttall and Kier, which began prep work in May 2014.
A joint venture of Bouygues TP and Laing O’Rourke known as BYLOR has a major construction contract for the project.