National Grid has halted development consent for the transmission line connecting a new proposed nuclear power station at Moorside.

A spokesperson told ELN it has paused the approval process for the £2.8 billion connection project following developer NuGen’s decision to carry out a “strategic review”.

A total of 21 companies in the area applied to be part of the project’s supply chain during a consultation on the North West Coast Connections project earlier this year.

However, the project has been in doubt since Japan’s Toshiba pulled out construction work in February after its US nuclear unit Westinghouse filed for bankruptcy.

French firm ENGIE also pulled out of the project, selling its 40% stake in NuGen to Toshiba.

National Grid added: “Following NuGen’s announcement of a strategic review of their project, we will work with them to understand the implications for the timescales of their project.

“In line with NuGen’s review, we are pausing work on our connection. This will ensure we can align our plans both for the application for consent and the development of the infrastructure itself.”