The future of an £18 billion nuclear plant project is in doubt after the UK Government said it will make a final decision on the scheme in Autumn.

Developer EDF Energy approved the final investment decision for Hinkley Point C (HPC) in Somerset at a board meeting yesterday, 28 July.

With contracts scheduled to be signed today, 29 July, Business Secretary Greg Clark said he will "consider carefully" before committing to the major energy scheme.

The Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) said delaying committing to HPC will "create great uncertainty in the construction sector".

Head of External Affairs for the CECA, Marie-Claude Hemming, said: "EDF's decision ends years of uncertainty for the UK's nuclear supply chain, and will allow industry to move towards delivery of this vital project.

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"Yet the Government's decision to postpone its final decision on the project, will create great uncertainty in the construction sector and the wider business sphere.

"Maintaining the security of the UK's energy supply is fundamental to ensuring our economy remains one of the largest in the world."

Union Unite added any further delay to the project will "hold back the economic boost" of the scheme.

Unite's national officer for energy, Kevin Coyne, said: "Our members are shovel ready to start work on the country's first nuclear power station for a generation and British companies are at the ready to build and supply this £18 billion project.

"This is the first big litmus test, following last month's EU referendum. Theresa May's new government must now give the final go-ahead and show that it has the appetite for the big infrastructure projects that the UK so desperately needs for its future economic prosperity.

"Unite will be pressing the UK government to give Hinkley Point C the final green light and that it ensures the project makes maximum use of British-made materials, such as steel, so that the benefits flow into the blood stream of the wider UK economy."

(LM/CD)