EDF to delay applying for UK nuclear plant building consent

By Nina Chestney

LONDON (Reuters) - Utility EDF <EDF.PA> said on Thursday it will apply for development consent later than planned to build its Sizewell C nuclear plant in Britain due to the coronavirus crisis.

The application for the new nuclear power station was due to be submitted to the UK's Planning Inspectorate by the end of March, but that will be deferred by a few weeks, EDF said.

"We are ready to submit the application but we recognise that many people in Suffolk, including the local authorities, are adjusting to new circumstances created by the coronavirus crisis," said Humphrey Cadoux-Hudson, EDF’s managing director of nuclear development.

(Reporting by Nina Chestney)