Mike Graham, National Secretary of the largest union in the UK nuclear industry, said:

"We have reached a critical three-week period for the future of the UK's nuclear new build ambitions. We can only hope for early contract closure on the sale of Horizon to ensure that the momentum behind the UK's plans for a new fleet of nuclear power plants does not get lost.

"At a time when we are looking to close many of our large coal-fired power stations between now and the end of 2015, the Horizon venture still has the potential to be a major contributor to achieving a secure low-carbon energy supply for the future.

"Today's outcome also has implications way beyond the future for Horizon's 120 highly-skilled employees, given the opportunities for skilled employment in construction, manufacturing and throughout the supply chain that the construction of infrastructure on this scale would bring."