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London, July 8, 2025 – French state-owned energy giant EDF has agreed to acquire a 12.5% stake in the UK’s Sizewell C nuclear power project, committing around £1.1 billion ($1.4 billion) in investment. The announcement came during French President Emmanuel Macron’s official state visit to the United Kingdom, signaling strengthened bilateral cooperation in the fields of clean energy and strategic infrastructure.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the investment, stating it would help reduce electricity costs and enhance long-term energy security. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband added that the deal would support thousands of jobs and provide clean power to millions of homes, marking “a new era for nuclear power in the UK.”
The Sizewell C plant, expected to begin operations by 2035, is projected to cost between £20 billion and £30 billion. The British government has already committed up to £14.2 billion to the project, with further private funding currently being sought. Potential investors include UK-based Centrica and Canada's Brookfield Asset Management.
Despite the enthusiasm, some environmental groups and opposition lawmakers have raised concerns that EDF’s participation might shift too much financial risk to British taxpayers. The final investment decision is anticipated later this summer.
The UK's renewed interest in nuclear power follows energy supply disruptions triggered by the 2022 Russia–Ukraine conflict. Nuclear energy, with its low-carbon footprint and stable output, is viewed as a cornerstone of the country's “net-zero by 2050” strategy. Following the ongoing Hinkley Point C project, Sizewell C is designed to replicate its EPR (European Pressurized Reactor) technology to ensure supply stability over decades.
Clad plates are composite metal plates made by bonding two or more different metals, typically through processes like explosive welding, hot rolling, or pressure bonding. These plates combine the structural strength of base metals such as carbon steel with the corrosion resistance of clad metals like stainless steel, titanium, or nickel alloys.
Primary Industries: Clad plates are widely used in pressure vessels, heat exchangers, storage tanks, desulfurization towers, desalination units, and especially in nuclear power equipment.
Manufacturing Techniques:
Explosive Welding: A high-energy process that bonds metals at the atomic level without melting, resulting in strong wavy interfaces and no heat-affected zones.
Hot Rolling or Press Bonding: Often used for producing large-scale plates with consistent thickness and mechanical strength.
Common Material Combinations:
Titanium + Carbon Steel: Widely applied in offshore and petrochemical sectors due to excellent corrosion resistance and cost efficiency.
Nickel Alloy + Steel: Used in high-temperature or acidic environments.
Advantages:
Enhanced service life in corrosive environments.
Cost reduction by replacing expensive alloy mass with a thin cladding layer.
Meet international standards like ASTM B898 and ASME SA264.
Recent studies have demonstrated that clad plates maintain superior mechanical strength and corrosion resistance compared to conventional monolithic materials. For example, the corrosion current density of titanium-clad steel is significantly lower, improving the material’s durability in marine or chemical applications.
Your Best Partner for Clad Plate & High Alloys: Fugo Tech
Nanjing Fugo New Material Tech Co., Ltd. (Fugo Tech) is an ISO 9001 and PED 2014/68/EU certified manufacturer specializing in Clad Material (Explosive Clad Plates & Rolled Clad Plate, Clad Bar) and Titanium, Nickel Alloy, and Stainless Steel products (Pipe/Fitting/Flange/Fastener) which are widely used in the Heat Exchanger, Pressure Vessel, Reactor, Column, Tower, and other process equipment.
Fugo Tech offers different material combinations of Clad Plate (Explosion-welded clad plate/composite plate & Rolled-welded clad plate/composite plate) , and also offers a wide range of materials, including Titanium, Nickel Alloy, Copper, Cu-Ni, and Stainless Steel, along with custom processing services (Tube Sheet drilling, Dish Head forming) for Oil & Gas, Petrochemical, Chemical, Energy, Paper & Pulp, Marine, Shipbuilding, Environment, Metallurgy, and New Energy Vehicles, with a strong focus on high-performance Clad Plate & Titanium & Nickel Alloy & Stainless Steel solutions.
For any new requirement, please contact: sales@fugo-tech.com
Fugo Tech is focused on the manufacturing of clad metal plate and distributes the Stainless Steel, Titanium, Nickel Alloy, Zirconium and other non-ferrous metal pipes, fittings, flanges, and fasteners.
