EDF pledges fresh £15bn UK investment as nuclear outages drag on output

EDF has revealed that a autumn successful prices and a prolonged outage astatine 1 of its atomic powerfulness stations dragged connected UK profits past year, while nan French power elephantine plans to plug £15 cardinal of finance into nan state complete nan adjacent 3 years.

The institution said atomic output from its 5 progressive powerfulness stations decreased by 12% past year, compared pinch 2024.

Its Sizewell B installation successful Suffolk and Torness successful Scotland had a beardown performance, but it was deed by an extended outage astatine nan Hartlepool powerfulness station, according to nan business.

The station, which is successful Teesside, started generating powerfulness 43 years ago, and provides capable energy to powerfulness astir 2 cardinal homes.

It was fixed a further one-year hold to make energy until March 2028, 1 twelvemonth later than antecedently expected.

But outages affecting 1 of its 2 reactor systems was nan main driver of nan wide driblet successful atomic output for EDF past year.

Furthermore, a diminution successful net was besides down to nan prices it charges for atomic powerfulness being little than successful 2024.

It is understood that mean prices were down by astir 20%.

Energy prices successful nan UK person been gradually coming down aft spiking successful nan aftermath of Russia’s penetration of Ukraine successful 2022.

EDF said that successful its UK business, net earlier interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) were £1.9 cardinal for 2025, down astir a 3rd from £2.9 cardinal successful 2024.

EDF’s atomic fleet provided astir 12% of nan UK’s full powerfulness request past twelvemonth – which it says makes it Britain’s biggest generator of zero c electricity.

The institution said it invested much than £5 cardinal successful Britain complete 2025, 30% much than nan twelvemonth before.

Over nan adjacent 3 years, it plans to plug a further £15 cardinal into nan UK crossed its different businesses – which besides incorporates upwind and star powerfulness generation.

A ample information of nan backing will spell towards nan improvement of nan Hinkley Point C powerfulness works which is being built successful Somerset.

EDF is separately an investor successful nan awesome Sizewell C task successful Suffolk, which is backed by nan Government.

The 2 developments are expected to supply debased c energy to meet 14% of UK request and powerfulness astir 12 cardinal homes.

Simone Rossi, main executive of EDF successful nan UK, said: “EDF is continuing to put heavy successful powering, supplying and building an electrical Britain.

“Our UK strategy is to present a semipermanent atomic and renewables procreation business, and to meet nan evolving needs of our customers arsenic much and much modulation distant from fossil fuels to utilizing cleaner, much unafraid and affordable electricity.”