Hinkley point C: A new chance for nuclear power plant construction in central Europe?

•Text deals with the EU׳s decision on the state support for the NPP Hinkley Point C.•This decision sends a strong signal about possible state aid for new NPPs in the EU.•Other member states are possible to consider similar pattern of financing.•The case of the Czech Republic is used to demonstrate the situation.

This text focuses on the decision of the European Commission on the admissibility of state support for the expansion of Hinkley Point C, a British nuclear power plant. The European Commission not only influenced the development of energy sector in the UK with its decision, but also sent a strong signal that it is possible to use state aid for new nuclear power plants in the EU. The example of the Czech Republic shows the way this signal may be perceived by governments and energy stakeholders and how it can influence the national debates about the construction of new nuclear power plants, even before the detailed information about the whole case of state aid for Hinkley Point C has been published.