Boris Johnson has given his strongest signal yet that he will announce government funding for a new nuclear power station before leaving office next Tuesday.
The prime minister is understood to have privately taken the decision to press ahead with the Sizewell C reactor in Suffolk several weeks ago, despite concerns from allies of Liz Truss that a decision now could tie the hands of his likely successor.
Truss ally Kwasi Kwarteng – currently business secretary and tipped to be chancellor if she wins the race to succeed Mr Johnson – is a strong supporter of nuclear power, saying the UK needs to “crack on” with new facilities to increase energy security.
But another senior supporter of the foreign secretary’s bid, Treasury minister Simon Clarke, warned in a leaked letter that the massive cost of government support was “sufficient to materially affect spending and fiscal choices for an incoming government”.
Mr Johnson is expected to address the current energy crisis and the need to step up power production in a major speech during his “farewell tour” of the UK this week.
Speaking during a visit to Dorset today, he made clear that nuclear will feature in that announcement.
Addressing the crisis caused by spiralling prices for gas and oil, Mr Johnson said: “People do care about this. They want to know that we are going to have a long-term British energy security strategy.
“And we are. We are putting in more nuclear – you are going to be hearing more about that later this week – and we are putting in absolutely shedloads of wind power as well.”
Downing Street today declined to comment on the progress of the Sizewell C plan, saying only that negotiations were “ongoing”.
A No 10 spokesperson said she could not comment further, as the issue was “commercially sensitive”, but noted that Mr Johnson had previously made clear his support for nuclear as a means of reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Government approval of financing for the construction of two new reactors at Sizewell is required to enable private funding of about £20-30bn to be raised.
Ms Truss has not stated a clear position on Sizewell C, but hinted last year at concerns about the involvement of China’s state-owned energy company CGN as part of a consortium providing funding for the preparatory work at the nuclear plant.
