China is to take a one-third stake in a French-led project to build the first in a new generation of UK nuclear power plants, investing billions of pounds under a landmark commercial deal to be announced on Wednesday.
根据周三将公布的一个里程碑式商业协议，中国将投资数十亿英镑，持有英国欣克利角(Hinkley Point)核电站项目三分之一股份。这个由法国牵头的项目，旨在为英国建造首座新一代核电站。
Its decision to take a 33.5 per cent share in the proposed ￡24bn Hinkley Point power station in Somerset follows months of negotiations with French energy group EDF, which will lead the project and fund the rest of the construction bill.
中国决定持有计划中的萨默塞特郡(Somerset)欣克利角核电站33.5%的股份。在此之前，中方曾与法国能源集团法国电力(EDF)展开长达数月的磋商。后者将主导这一项目，并提供剩余的建造资金。

There will be no other investors after Saudi Arabia backed out. EDF is expected to sell ￠10bn of assets over the coming five years as it shores up its balance sheet and prepares to build up to three nuclear projects in the UK with its Chinese partners.
在沙特阿拉伯退出之后，该项目将不再拥有其他投资者。法国电力预计会在今后五年内出售100亿欧元资产，以巩固其资产负债表，并为与中方合作在英建设至多三个核电项目做准备。
In a pact sealed just hours before the arrival of President Xi Jinping of China in London for this week's state visit, senior EDF executives and a negotiating team led by China's state-owned CGN struck an accord that will lead to a final investment decision on the plant — an irrevocable undertaking — by the end of the year.
在中国国家主席习近平抵达伦敦、开启本周对英国事访问几小时前，法国电力高管与由中国国企中广核集团(CGN)牵头的一支谈判团队达成了一份协议。根据该协议，双方将于今年年底前就该核电站作出最终投资决定。目前，该核电站项目已不可撤销。
The plan to press ahead with Hinkley Point C, a huge infrastructure project that will deliver 7 per cent of the UK's electricity needs, has the strong political backing of David Cameron, the UK prime minister, and the leaders of France and China.
欣克利角C核电站(Hinkley Point C)是一个庞大的基础设施建设项目，该核电站将满足英国7%的电力需求。英国首相戴维·卡梅伦(David Cameron)以及法中两国领导人，对推进该项目的计划予以了强大的政治支持。
It will be the commercial centrepiece of Mr Xi's visit this week. A second Chinese nuclear group, CNNC, will be involved in the project as a joint venture partner.
该项目将成为习近平本周访问中在商业方面的核心议题。另一家中国核电集团中国核工业集团公司(CNNC)，将以合作伙伴的身份参与该项目。
The agreement means that Hinkley will get a new completion date of 2025, coming online a decade from now and two years later than planned. It is already well behind schedule after a lengthy EU state aid inquiry, protracted talks on investment and the near failure of France's Areva, which will supply the European Pressurised Reactor technology used in the plant. EDF expects Hinkley's construction to be funded initially by equity. Industry insiders say this means it is unlikely to raise as much debt as envisaged originally and is, therefore, not expected to draw heavily on public funds to underwrite that debt. The Treasury last month agreed to provide a 2bn pounds infrastructure guarantee. While more funding may be available, EDF has no plans to request it.
根据该协议，欣克利角核电站的完工日期将改为2025年，也就是从现在起十年后入网运营，比原计划晚了两年。在此之前，经历了欧盟(EU)漫长的国家援助调查、围绕投资问题展开的旷日持久磋商以及法国阿海珐(Areva)濒临破产，该项目已大大落后于计划。阿海珐是该电站所用欧洲压水反应堆(European Pressurised Reactor)技术的提供方。法国电力预计，欣克利角的初始建设资金将来自股本。
This week's accord is also expected to include a reference to future co-operation with the Chinese on two further nuclear plants, Sizewell in Suffolk and Bradwell in Essex.
本周的协议预计还会提及未来就另外两座核电站与中方展开的合作。这两座核电站分别是位于萨福克郡(Suffolk)的塞兹维尔核电站(Sizewell)，以及位于埃塞克斯郡(Essex)的布拉德韦尔核电站(Bradwell)。
China wants to use Bradwell to showcase its own reactor technology and would take the lead on that project, submitting a design to UK regulators."
中国希望用布拉德韦尔核电站来展示自己的反应堆技术，它将成为该项目的主导者，并已向英国监管机构提交了设计方案。