Nuclear sector calls for new funding model

The UK’s nuclear industry is at a critical juncture, with almost all of the current fleet of nuclear power stations set to retire this decade. Yet developers and governments increasingly balk at the cost of new nuclear plants, leaving EDF and its partner, China’s state-backed CGN, the only companies building new plants here. CGN’s involvement is controversial due to concerns about the Communist state’s growing influence and opposition from the US. Under the new financing model known as regulated asset base, investors get a steady return from the project even during the building phase.