Electricite de France SA (EDF.FR) is to cut the number of staff preparing the ground for the new Hinkley Point nuclear plant in the west of England as it awaits a decision from the U.K. government on the future of the project, the French state-controlled energy firm said Tuesday.

EDF, the world's largest nuclear operator, said "there will be a reduction in the number of people working on the project for the time being," citing the need to control costs ahead of final financing decisions.

Around 800 EDF staff and contractors are currently employed on the site of the planned power station, which the firm said was still in a "pre-construction" phase. A spokesman for the firm was not able to confirm how many of the lay-offs will be EDF staff and how many will be contractors.

The Hinkley Point C project, which could power up to five million homes once completed, is stalled over negotiations with the U.K. government on the price it is willing to guarantee EDF for energy produced.

The so-called "strike price" has been a subject of debate for several months. The firm said Tuesday that contract negotiations were "making progress."

EDF's Chairman and Chief Executive Henri Proglio last week told Dow Jones Newswires that he was "not in a hurry" to secure a deal at any price, or at any specific deadline.
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