WEST Somerset Council has written to the Prime Minister warning him local people face a "fatal blow" if urgent action is not taken to secure the long-term future of the Hinkley Point C development.

With the Government expected to decide on Tuesday whether to grant a development consent order for the proposed new nuclear power station, there are real fears developer EDF Energy could still walk away from the project even if it gets approval.

As reported in last week's Free Press, the French energy giant has been in protracted talks with the Government to secure a price guarantee for electricity generated at the proposed new nuclear power station.

But talks are believed to have reached stalemate and EDF has already begun scaling back its workforce on the Hinkley C site.

Now the district council has gone straight to No 10 and asked David Cameron to intervene to get the talks back on track.

In a letter to Downing Street, council leader Cllr Tim Taylor and council chief executive Adrian Dyer warn that thousands of jobs could be lost if the Government does not hurry up and strike a finance deal with EDF.

Under plans devised by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, EDF would effectively receive a subsidy for electricity produced at Hinkley C through levies on all UK consumer energy bills.

But the amount of the levy - known as the Contract for Difference - has yet to be agreed and time appears to be running out, even if permission is granted for the station to be built.

In their letter, Cllr Taylor and Mr Dyer say West Somerset would be dealt a 'fatal blow' if EDF pulled out and Hinkley C did not go ahead.

They say West Somerset is on the brink of becoming a world class centre of engineering excellence and a powerhouse of low carbon energy generation.

"Somerset as a whole cannot afford to miss this once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure so many new jobs, skills and investment, especially as there is now a local climate of expectation that these will materialise in the near future," says the letter.

"We are concerned that failure to reach agreement on funding puts this crucial project in jeopardy, and we are urging you to do everything possible to encourage all departments of Government involved in the project to do what is needed to enable a negotiated deal to be agreed."

It points out that a huge amount of work has already been done on the project, which is expected to create 25,000 new jobs during the construction phase alone.

"New training facilities, skills development programmes and apprenticeships all triggered by this project are already under way and will help lift the career prospects and aspirations of young people in West Somerset at a time when youth unemployment is high locally and local jobs hard to obtain.

"Our young people need opportunities like this.

"The consequences of not realising the closing window of opportunity before us are too damaging to contemplate, particularly during these tough economic times."

Yesterday (Thursday), Cllr Taylor told the Free Press that West Somerset Council, Sedgemoor District Council and Somerset County Council had all worked hard on the project and were ready to push ahead with EDF Energy if the Government gives the green light.

"We should know by Tuesday whether the Minister has granted planning permission for the project," he said.

"Our council has taken an active part in the planning examination and we are naturally keen to see a positive outcome.

"Should the decision by the Minister be positive, we are ready to play our important part, working with EDF Energy and partner councils to deliver education and skills programmes and jobs for local people while at the same time taking measures to minimise the impact of the project on local communities."

Meanwhile, EDF said it had reached another "important milestone" in the Hinkley C project this week when the Environment Agency granted the three main environmental permits required for operating the proposed new nuclear power station.

The permits govern the rigorous control of emissions and discharges from the proposed power station and were issued following a lengthy consultation process which started back in the summer of 2011.

They cover the discharge of cooling water and other liquid waste and the regulation of emissions linked to operation of backup diesel generators on the site.

They also give strict limits and conditions for the safe and controlled discharge and disposal of small amounts of low level radioactive liquids, gaseous and solid wastes.

Chris Bakken, project director for Hinkley Point C, said: "These permits are important for the safe and environmentally responsible operation of the power station.

"Having the permits in place this early in the project provides us with the clarity we need to build the processes which will underpin the highest standards of environmental performance from the very start of operation of the plant."