The British government is exploring ways to remove China’s state-owned nuclear energy company from all future power projects in the UK, including the consortium planning to build the new É20bn Sizewell nuclear power station in Suffolk, according to people close to the discussions.
The change in mood at the top of government also affects proposals by China General Nuclear (CGN) to build a new plant at Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex using its own reactor technology and raises questions about the UK’s future nuclear energy program.
It follows the chilling in relations between London and Beijing in recent years over issues ranging from China’s clampdown on dissent in Hong Kong and the treatment of the Uyghur minority to its handling of the original Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said last year the UK could no longer conduct “business as usual” with Beijing. The most high-profile action so far has been the government’s decision to force Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei out of Britain’s 5G network.
The move comes as the US and its allies in Europe and Asia are increasingly discussing ways of preventing China from obtaining sensitive technology, and also making sure that they are not overly reliant on China for technology in their own supply chains or critical infrastructure.
The collaboration on nuclear power dates back to a 2015 agreement with China that was endorsed by David Cameron, the British prime minister at the time, and Chinese president Xi Jinping.
That deal envisaged that CGN would become a 20 per cent partner in the development of the planned Sizewell C plant on the Suffolk coast along with an option to participate in its construction. It also sealed Chinese investment in the 3.2 gigawatts Hinkley Point C nuclear power facility, which is currently under construction in Somerset.