The European Commission on Wednesday said it had opened "an in-depth investigation" to see whether plans by the British government to subsidise a new £16-billion ($26-billion, 18.9-billion-euro) nuclear plant comply with state aid rules. "When public money is spent to support companies, the Commission has the duty to verify that this is done in line with the EU state aid rules," it said in a statement. Britain's coalition government in October signed a deal with French energy giant EDF to build two reactors at Hinkley Point C in southwestern England.