Slaughter and May advised the UK Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) in relation to the European Commission’s State aid investigation into proposed measures to support EDF Energy’s investment in the construction of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C in Somerset. The European Commission announced on 8 October 2014 that it had formally approved the State aid package, including a Contract for Difference and State guarantee.

Hinkley Point C will be the first nuclear power station to be built in the UK for a generation and the first since the liberalisation of the UK energy market. It will also be the largest nuclear plant in the UK with an anticipated capacity of 3.3GW. It is projected to produce about 7% of the United Kingdom’s electricity, enough to power nearly 6 million homes when it comes on stream.

The construction of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station is a key component of the UK Government’s Electricity Market Reform (EMR).

Slaughter and May continues to advise DECC in relation to other aspects of the Hinkley Point C project.

CONTACTS

Competition: Jackie Holland (special adviser), Anthony Gamble (associate), Anish Narendran (associate)