LONDON—The U.K. government on Thursday confirmed it will go ahead with the project to build a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point with French utility Electricite de France SA, the country’s first in a generation.

The decision follows months of delays to the £18 billion ($23.82 billion) project, which has drawn criticism from EDF officials and French labor unions worried about its impact on the company’s finances, and in the U.K. where some politicians and environment groups consider it too expensive and risky.

Part of the funding for the project will come from China General Nuclear Power Corp.

The government said it would impose a new legal framework that will mean it is able to intervene in the sale of EDF’s stake once the plant is operational. The government is also introducing new measures to safeguard future foreign investment in critical infrastructure.

The new Hinkley Point plant will provide 7% of Britain’s electricity needs for 60 years, the government said, adding that 26,000 jobs and apprenticeships will be created.

The future of the project in southwest England had been put into question after the new government of Prime Minister Theresa May unexpectedly announced in July that it was delaying a final decision on the plant until the fall to study all the components of the deal.

An EDF official said the changes requested by the U.K. government were minor and that there was no need for new negotiations.