COMPLETING Hinkley Point C nuclear power station is likely to be delayed by at least six months and cost an extra £500 million, builders EDF Energy revealed in a shock statement this week.

The project which had been originally estimated to cost about £21.5 -£22.5 billion is now expected to come in at around £23 billion and is unlikely to start producing electricity until June 2026.

EDF blames the impact of Covid-19 which has meant that fewer workers have been allowed on site and there have been delays in delivering parts and equipment, but say that extra costs will not be passed to consumers.

EDF managing director Stuart Crooks said it was the first time since 2016 that the company had had to reassess the giant project’s costs and timescale.

He added: “It is important to remember this is a health crisis, not an issue with construction and the fundamentals of the project remain good.

“While Covid remains a big challenge and a worry, it is reasonable to imagine a time when vaccination means we can get back to business as usual.”

But he explained that the new predictions were dependent on progress getting back to normal before the summer.

“Ten months after it began we are still facing the full force of the pandemic. We have been able to keep working through Covid but with reduced people on the site it’s effectively eaten away at our opportunity to recover the lost time from 2020.

“So far, we estimate we have lost around three months of scheduled time and we estimate we could lose another three months in 2021, assuming that conditions allow us to ramp back up the resources following Easter,” Mr Crooks added.

Once completed, Hinkley C will generate electricity for around six million households – seven per cent – of the country’s homes.