UK lawmakers ramp up pressure on EDF over Hinkley nuclear plant

LONDON, April 26 (Reuters) - British lawmakers have ordered EDF (Paris: FR0010242511 - news) executives to appear in Parliament for a second time in three months, ramping up pressure on the French utility over its delay in making a decision to build the 18 billion pound ($26.3 billion) Hinkley Point C nuclear plant.

EDF last week delayed making a final decision on the project until after its May 12 shareholder meeting to allow time to consult its works council.

The head of a British parliamentary committee on energy said he wants EDF executives to appear before the group, likely in late May, to explain the delay.

Vincent de Rivaz, chief executive of EDF's British unit EDF (Hanover: E2F.HA - news) Energy, spoke to the same committee on March 23 and told lawmakers France's economy minister expected an investment decision would be made in early May.

"At that hearing we said that we would call them back in if that timetable slipped again and that's what we are doing now," Angus MacNeil, chair of the committee, said in a statement.

He said he was concerned that the project's cancellation would have huge implications for Britain's energy security and emissions reduction targets.

EDF Energy declined to comment.

Over the past two years, several decision deadlines have come and gone. A source close to the French economy minister told Reuters a new deadline could be two to four months away.

($1 = 0.6850 pounds) (Reporting by Karolin Schaps; editing by Jason Neely)