Hinkley Point C was supposed to cost £18 billion when it was approved in 2013. It was going to be Britain's nuclear renaissance — proof that the UK could build new nuclear at scale. Thirteen years later, it stands as the most expensive power station ever constructed on planet Earth.
Here is the cost escalation, year by year:
The timeline has slipped just as badly as the budget:
When Hinkley Point C finally switches on — assuming it does — Britain will get:
Now compare that to what a single Carbon Free Future coastal site produces:
The UK government's own Fingleton Review found that Britain is "the most expensive place in the world to build nuclear." Why? Because of bespoke, one-off megaprojects exactly like Hinkley Point C.
CFF is the direct answer to that problem. Instead of building one unique, custom-designed reactor complex, CFF proposes 48 identical factory-built modules per site, and 1,344 modules across the full fleet. The Fleet Effect means every build gets faster and cheaper — the same principle that made Japan dominant in cars and Korea dominant in shipbuilding.
Hinkley Point C will eventually produce electricity. Nobody disputes that. The question is: is electricity alone worth £48 billion and 13+ years of delays?
When the same money could fund three CFF sites — each producing more electricity, plus hydrogen, water, heating, and industrial outputs — for 200 years instead of 60?
The numbers speak for themselves. See the full comparison on the homepage.
Carbon Free Future is an independent proposal by DJ Waugh, a retired engineer from the North East of England. It has no political or commercial affiliation.