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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's polices on Hinckley Point C of power outages at EDF nuclear reactors in France; and if he will amend the loan guarantees for the construction of Hinckley Point C to make them contingent on the start of power generation at the European Pressurised Reactor at Flamanville by 2020.

The power outages in France do not involve the EPR reactor type to be built at Hinkley Point. There are strong commercial incentives in the Contract for Difference for EDF to build and commission the Hinkley Point C power plant on time. In respect of the loan guarantee, EDF has confirmed to the Secretary of State that it will not be taking up the guarantee.