China will finance one third of Britain's first nuclear power plant in decades to the tune of £6.0 billion (8.2 billion euros, $9.3 billion) in a vast EDF-backed deal, the French energy giant said Wednesday.

The project, which was initially planned to be operational by 2023 but is now scheduled for completion in 2025, is expected to be finalised in the next few weeks, EDF added in a statement.