Austria will challenge a decision to let the UK spend money on a new nuclear power plant in court.

Its Federal Government announced the lawsuit plans after the the EU Commission gave a green light for Hinkley Point to be built in Somerset today.

Chancellor Werner Faymann and Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner said they do “not accept” the decision.

Their joint-statement declared: “We will prepare and bring an action before the European Court of Justice.”

Austria’s complaint hinges on giving subsidy to nuclear power: “Hinkley Point is a bad precedent, because guaranteed feed-in tariffs were previously reserved for renewable forms of energy.”

The power plant’s owner EDF is guaranteed a lucrative £92.50 per megawatt from the Government for its nuclear energy.