by Larry Neild
LONDON, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Greg Clark, a member of the new British government cabinet, on Thursday praised the joint French-led nuclear project at Hinkley Point, Southern England, saying that it will binging both economic and ecological benefits for the country.
Earlier Thursday, the British government issued a statement approving the project, after it halted it for nearly two months.
Clark, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, told a parliamentary debate that this 18 billion British pound (about 23.7 billion U.S. dollars) investment provides an upgrade in the supply of clean energy.
"When it begins producing electricity in the middle of the next decade it will provide 7 percent of the UK's electricity needs; giving secure energy to 6 million homes for 60 years," he said.
Hinkley unleashes a long overdue new wave of investment in nuclear engineering in Britain, creating 26,000 jobs and apprenticeships and providing a huge boost to the British economy, he said, adding that the electricity generated will be reliable and low carbon, and so completely compatible with the country's climate change obligations.
"All of these developments are good for Britain," he said, "It is to the infrastructure on which our future depends."
The Hinkley project will be designed and built by the French energy giant EDF, with about a third of investment from China.
In the statement given to the House of Commons, Clark said that the government decided to process with the project after making some important changes concerning security and legal frameworks.
Inquired by Xinhua about how the changes will affect China's investment in the Hinkley point, a spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy and Business Strategy said that there would be none.
As for the Bradwell project, the official spokesman said that it has always been a component of the Hinkley deal, which has not changed.
"However, the Bradwell project will also need to go through the same planning and independent regulatory processes required for all new build projects, and meet all the requirements as a result of the new regime we are bringing. This is the case for all new build projects, " the spokesman added.
