Sizewell C nuclear plant: Truss and Macron agree cooperation

The UK prime minister and France's president have agreed joint support for the new Sizewell C nuclear power plant.

Liz Truss and Emmanuel Macron issued a joint statement in which they said they were keen to advance cooperation, on energy in particular.

They pledged "full support" for the station set for Suffolk's coast, to be developed by French energy company EDF.

Critics have argued Sizewell C will be hugely expensive and take years to build.

The leaders said they expected the "relevant bodies to finalise arrangements in the coming month".

Ms Truss and Mr Macron were meeting at the first summit of the European Political Community in Prague where they discussed matters for further cooperation.

The statement issued by the prime minister's office reiterated how "energy transition and decoupling from Russian hydro-carbons are common challenges".

It stated: "They reaffirmed their belief that both renewable and nuclear energies are part of consistent strategies to achieve energy transition and strategic autonomy."

Ms Truss also tweeted that both countries were keen to end dependence on Russian energy.

Before leaving office, former prime minister Boris Johnson pledged £700m for a new power plant, with a call to "go nuclear and go large and go with Sizewell C".

Campaign group Stop Sizewell C said it had concerns about a relationship with France on nuclear energy, and questioned whether "relying on the French state for UK energy security" was a good idea.

The group's thoughts were echoed by Together Against Sizewell C (TASC), which has instigated a judicial review process into the decision to approve the nuclear power station.

"If they see Sizewell C as the answer, then they are asking the wrong question," it said.

The government gave the go-ahead for the plant in July, against the advice of the Planning Inspectorate.

Negotiations on raising funds are continuing.

The Sizewell C project is expected to generate about 7% of the UK's electricity needs and operate for 60 years.

It is not expected to begin generating electricity until the 2030s.

It would be built next to the existing Sizewell B, which is still generating electricity, and Sizewell A, which has been decommissioned.

EDF has said the plant could generate 3.2 gigawatts of electricity, enough for about six million homes.

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