Contracts were expected to be signed instantly after the EDF board made the final investment decision.
But the government said it will “consider carefully” before agreeing a construction start with a final decision pushed back until the Autumn.
Construction work will create 25,000 jobs with 60% of contracts expected to go to UK firms.
Domestic firms have already been awarded £1.5bn of work with a joint venture of Laing O’Rourke and Bouygues is lined up for the main civils work while a Balfour Beatty/NG Bailey JV has a £460m electrical package.
Other recently announced preferred bidders include:
- Cavendish Boccard Nuclear (Joint Venture) comprising of Cavendish Nuclear, Bristol and Boccard, Lyon, France – mechanical pipework and equipment installation
- ACTAN (Joint Venture) comprising of Doosan Babcock, Renfrew and Crawley, with Axima Concept and Tunzini Nucleaire, both of Paris, France – heating, ventilation and air conditioning*
- Laing O’Rourke, Dartford – construction of workers’ campus accommodation
- ABB UK, Stone, Staffordshire – power transmission
- Premier Interlink WACO UK Ltd, East Yorkshire – construction of temporary buildings
- Weir, East Kilbride – large pumps for cooling water
- Clyde Union, Glasgow – main pumps for feedwater system and cooling water system