July 2, 2020 - 7:00am
I’ve never had any illusions about the nature of the Chinese regime, but I used to think that constructive engagement was the best policy.
Not anymore. Not after the Covid cover-up, or the crushing of Hong Kong, or the aggression against India or the latest news from Xinjiang about a Uighur sterilization campaign. Our policy must now shift to one of protective disengagement.
Not becoming technologically dependant on Chinese providers is the obvious place to start. Quite rightly, the British government is coming under intense pressure to u-turn on its policy of allowing Huawei to build our 5G networks. But another key concern is nuclear power.
According to a Populus poll conducted for the China Research Group (an organisation of British Members of Parliament), only 12% of respondents agreed with the statement “I would be happy for a Chinese company to build a nuclear power station in Britain” — 62% disagreed.
Unfortunately, it’s already happening. The Chinese company CGN is key part of the consortium building Hinkley Point C in Somerset. But while it’s too late to stop that horrendously expensive mistake, there’s still time to say no to Sizewell C in Suffolk. This nuclear new build project also involves CGN — and it too is horrendously expensive. The Financial Times reports that the latest cost estimates are “higher-than-expected”.
Those of us who complained about the price tag on Hinkley were told that as the first of its kind, the project would pave the way for major cost reductions on subsequent power stations. But Sizewell C throws that into doubt and we aren’t even close to getting the final bill yet.
At least with Huawei’s 5G offer, we’d be getting some advanced technology for our money. However, the same cannot be said for the EPR nuclear reactor design, which has been knocking about for years. The first such construction project, in Finland, started in 2005. Therefore, by the time that Sizewell C is meant to open in 2031, the technology will be more than a quarter of a century old.
Sizewell C therefore fails the ‘Dominic Cummings test’ of using industrial policy to place Britain at the cutting edge. Rather, British energy consumers would end up spending decades paying to prop-up dinosaur industries in competitor economies. Furthermore, we’d be involving an increasingly hostile foreign power in a serious matter of national security.
Even if Sizewell C made economic sense, which it doesn’t, it makes no geopolitical sense. So what on Earth are we playing at?
Peter Franklin is Associate Editor of UnHerd. He was previously a policy advisor and speechwriter on environmental and social issues.
peterfranklin_
Join the discussion
Join like minded readers that support our journalism by becoming a paid subscriber
To join the discussion in the comments, become a paid subscriber.
Join like minded readers that support our journalism, read unlimited articles and enjoy other subscriber-only benefits.
SubscribeCouldn’t agree more. We need to review the project delivery method for Hinckley, strike of Chinese companies for Sizewell C and look to other suppliers such as Ericsson and Cisco for the 5G network development. The time has come for the UK to shut its door to China.
For Heaven’s sake, Peter, it’s dependent, not dependant.
It would be “dependant” if it was a noun but, as you correctly say, here it is “dependent” (adjective).
The article itself is good.
Since we’re being pedantic here, if it were a noun it would be “dependant”.
Let’s fight for that endangered species, the glorious Subjunctive! (the guy who invented it must surely have been on acid)
Come on, a little individuality in the use of one’s language is to be commended. And let’s marvel at the man who has the mettle to stride forth without that sissy crutch of the spellcheck (I can never get that damned word right either)
We need to get back to UK Designed and UK built projects for Infrastructure in the UK.
What happened to the UK SMR project?
What about back-doors into the software? Upset the CCP and they just switch off the power?
Pretty sure both HPC and SZC are french designed power stations, and the only reason there are Chinese investors is because centrica (British Gas) pulled out of the consortium and the UK government refuses to invest in important infrastructure projects…
Thoroughly agree though that we shouldn’t be relying on foreign companies or governments to build nuclear power station in UK.
Surely keeping the lights on (and hospitals powered, etc.) should be considered critical enough that the government should be leading this themselves… Re-privatise electricity generation!
It’s a French design and reactor, that hadn’t even worked successfully until the Chinese recently modified it so the main thrust of your article isn’t exactly correct, the main point is without Chinese and French funding the project can’t go ahead and if it doesn’t SE England won’t have sufficient power generation. I’d assume you believe the hype about wind ‘power’, however at peak it only provides 2.5% of uk power, rare and infinitely more expensive than this. Still, you could always try yet another cable to the Continent, Britain’s going to need it even with Hinkley and Sizewell.