The EU has made a ruling that will allow the UK to build its first nuclear power station since the nineteen-nineties.

The EU has decided to allow massive government subsidies for the nuclear power industry, which will pave the way for a $30 billion British nuclear project.

French company EDF says its plans for the UK wil create 25,000 jobs while replacing a fifth of Britain's aging nuclear infrastructure.

But the plan hinges on securing a fixed, guaranteed price for the electricity it would generate, and the price EDF wants will need big government subsidies to prop up a low market rate.

European Union regulators have ruled the subsidies are allowed within with EU trade rules.

Nuclear energy qualifies for subsidies under EU rules because of its low carbon emissions, but the huge cost to the UK taxpayer will be borne out in price rises on electricity bills.

Reports say households will see signifant price rises to fund the re-awakening of nuclear power. 

Environmental concerns stymied the once-keen British nuclear industry.

Now, the British Government has to convince the people that the payments are not just an expensive form of state aid, and that the project will be a crucial part of meeting environmental targets.

But the EU’s ruling has not cleared a path completely, rather, it appears to have made the journey more complex.

Austria has already indicated it will challenge the decision in court, and with nations such as Germany phasing out nuclear power, other pro-nuclear countries may see the turmoil caused as a good reason to head in another direction.