Nuclear contractors are seeking urgent assurances from Government on the future of the UK’s nuclear new build programme, after RWE npower and E.On announced the sale of the £15 billion Horizon joint venture behind two power plant schemes.
The energy firms were expecting to raise £15bn of investment and had acquired land for the plants at Wylfa, on the Island of Anglesey, North Wales and at Oldbury-on-Severn, South Gloucestershire, but made the decision to pull out for strategic reasons and following difficulties in raising finance. Work on the project has been put on hold while another backer is sought.
Balfour Beatty and Laing O’Rourke are currently competing for the main construction contract at Wylfa. One nuclear contractor told Construction Enquirer: “This is obviously very worrying news and we need assurances from the Government that they are committted to nuclear new build …A lot of contractors have invested a lot of resources following promises about this market which is seen as a major growth area for the next decade.”
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