Ed Miliband has sunk an extra £2.7bn into Sizewell C after EDF slashed its stake in the nuclear power project. The Energy Secretary said the additional money would boost energy security, jobs and the race for net zero.
But anti-Sizewell campaigners questioned the wisdom of pouring billions into a project that the Government has still not taken a final decision to build.
It means UK taxpayers have so far spent a total of £8bn on the nuclear power station.
The latest cash is thought to be aimed at building confidence in the project, potentially attracting other investors as EDF steps back.
The French energy giant recently reduced its stake from 24pc to 16pc amid pressure from Emmanuel Macron, the French president, to cut back on risky overseas commitments. EDF was told it should instead focus on making a success of multibillion-euro projects at home, ensuring they were profitable and built on time.
Sizewell C is a proposed 3.2-gigawatt nuclear power station planned for the Suffolk coast, potentially generating power for 6m homes.
Its design would be similar to the Hinkley Point C power station being built by EDF in Somerset, whose start date has been delayed by a decade to the mid-2030s with costs that have doubled to £40bn.
Sizewell C was given the go-ahead by the last government and the £2.7bn is in addition to the £1.2bn made available by Mr Miliband since July last year, as well as the £4bn spent by the previous administration
The money has gone to Sizewell C Ltd, the company set up by the Government and EDF, so far the only other investor in the project
