A decision on whether to approve a £20billion nuclear power plant has been delayed.
The Government was expected to make an announcement on the application for Sizewell C in Suffolk by Friday.
Secretary of Commerce Paul Scully said he had “set a new deadline of no later than July 20 to make a decision on this application.”
“This is to ensure there is enough time for the Foreign Secretary to consider the proposal,” he said.
The government was previously due to announce a planning decision by May 25 but said it needed more time to consider new information and set a new July 8 deadline.
French energy company EDF hopes to build a two-reactor nuclear power plant on the Sizewell coast.
The plant would generate 3.2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, enough to meet 7% of UK needs and could power the equivalent of around six million homes and generate electricity for 60 years.
The Government has already pledged £100m to Sizewell C and plans to take a 20% stake.
- What is Sizewell C and where is it planned?
- Activists toss government over Sizewell numbers
- Government takes 20% stake in new nuclear power plant
Those opposed to the plans have argued that expanding the use of nuclear power would be slow and expensive.
Activists also said the facility, which would be built near a wildlife sanctuary, could endanger more than 6,000 species.
Responding to the delay, Alison Downes of the Stop Sizewell C campaign group said: “It would have been a farce if a decision on Sizewell C had been made today.”
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