NuGen is to delay applying for a development consent order for Moorside. The company had planned to make the application by the end of June, but now says the timetable will depend on how it alters its design to meet local conditions.

The announcement came as Westinghouse, the company that will supply and build the planned reactor, applied for bankruptcy protection for its US business.

NuGen announced that the DCO delay was the result of a “fantastic response” to its public consultation on the project.