EU approves UK's first nuclear plant for a generation
As hinted over the last couple weeks.
Brussels (AFP) - The EU on Wednesday approved Britain's ambitious plan to build its first nuclear plant for a generation, with French and Chinese help, marking a major victory for nuclear energy three years after the Fukushima disaster.
The bloc's competition watchdog said Britain had "significantly modified" its funding plans for the £16-billion ($26-billion, 18.9-billion-euro) deal in response to concerns about whether aspects of the deal amounted to state subsidies.
The Hinkley Point project, to be built by France's EDF, had encountered fierce resistance from activists and several member states, but a vote by the bloc's 28 commissioners narrowly backed the deal.
...snip...
... the EU Commission insists that the choice of energy source, no matter how controversial, is strictly up to the member state.
"The responsibilities are clearly stated. We are fulfilling our duties just as UK authorities fulfil theirs on deciding what they want as investment in their own country," Almunia said in a news conference.
http://news.yahoo.com/eu-approves-uks-hinkley-point-nuclear-plant-100743276.html