Paris court confirms EDF board Hinkley Point vote

PARIS (Reuters) - A Paris court on Friday confirmed the EDF board's investment decision on the Hinkley Point nuclear newbuild project in Britain, an EDF Works Council official told Reuters. The French state-controlled utility's Works Council had asked the Paris court to annul the board's vote, arguing that it had not received the necessary documents from management to give a non-binding preliminary advice to the company. "The Works Council takes note of the court's unfavourable decision," the official said. He added that the court's decision did not invalidate a separate Works Council lawsuit asking the court to oblige EDF management to release confidential documents relating to Hinkley Point. A hearing in that case is set for September 22. On Thursday last week, EDF's board approved the controversial 18 billion euro (£15.2 billion) project with a narrow majority, but just hours later the government of new British Prime Minister Theresa May said it wanted more time to reconsider and would decide in the autumn. In a letter to top EDF executives earlier this week, Chief Executive Jean-Bernard Levy admitted that he knew before the board meeting that the British government wanted to delay its Hinkley Point decision. (Reporting by Geert De Clercq; editing by Richard Lough)