Finance Director of EDF Thomas Piquemal Resigns

Following today’s news that the finance director of EDF, Thomas Piquemal, has resigned after expressing trenchant opposition to making a final investment decision on Hinkley Point C in April, Stop Hinkley spokesperson Roy Pumfrey has made the following comments: “The Financial Times says Piquemal deserves the thanks of UK energy consumers who could yet escape paying the excessive price of an unproven project. The newspaper has already said the case against the nuclear power station is hard to refute. We agree.”

“To paraphrase Oscar Wilde to lose the Hinkley C Project Director earlier this year may be regarded as a misfortune. But to lose both him and the Chief Financial Officer looks like carelessness. This can only be another serious setback for a project that is going nowhere fast.”

“But there seems to be a growing trend amongst commentators to describe Hinkley Point C as a ‘white elephant’ (3) – an onerous gift or unwanted possession – a phrase which goes nowhere near describing this disastrous project. It’s a massive blood-sucking parasite sucking the life out of the country.”

“The UK Government’s nuclear delusions are standing in the way of the West of England joining the energy revolution. In Europe alone some 6,500 towns, cities and regions are committed to localised, “sustainable” energy systems, and are increasingly planning for a future based on 100% renewable energy. Nuclear advocates can’t bring themselves to admit that smart, efficient and renewable energy systems are sounding the death-knell of nuclear power. It’s time that Somerset was given the opportunity to catch-up.”