Hinkley nuclear plant to cost extra £2.9bn

The new nuclear plant being built at Hinkley Point C will cost up to £2.9bn more than thought, French power company EDF has said.

Blaming "challenging ground conditions" EDF director Paul Spence told the Today programme it will now cost up to £22.5bn.

In common with other major UK building projects, such as Crossrail and HS2, the power plant is over budget.

EDF last raised its estimate for the project in 2017, by £1.5bn.