The government has committed to a £14.2bn investment to build the Sizewell C nuclear power station to end years of delay and uncertainty over the project.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to confirm the funding at the GMB Union’s annual congress today (10 June) ahead of the government’s spending review.
The announcement comes as the government is set to confirm one of Europe’s first small modular reactor (SMR) programmes.
The government said the investment will create 10,000 jobs, including 1,500 apprenticeships, and support thousands more jobs across the UK.
Sizewell C has already signed £330m in contracts with local companies and will boost supply chains across the UK. It is estimated that 70% of contracts will go to 3,500 British suppliers.
‘Golden age of clean energy’
Sizewell C is a multi-billion project led by French energy company EDF to build a 3,200MWe nuclear power station with two EPR reactors in Suffolk.
It is expected that once complete, it will power around six million of today’s homes with “clean homegrown” energy.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband said: “We need new nuclear to deliver a golden age of clean energy abundance, because that is the only way to protect family finances, take back control of our energy, and tackle the climate crisis.
“This is the government’s clean energy mission in action – investing in lower bills and good jobs for energy security.”
Costain’s managing director of natural resources, Sam White, said: “The government’s confirmation is a huge step forward for the UK’s energy security and net-zero ambitions.”
Earlier this year, Costain secured a place on a 10-year framework to provide resourcing support for Sizewell C across delivery integration, quality and engineering integration.
White added: “At the same time, this is a project that will accelerate the development of highly sought-after engineering skills for thousands of long-term jobs, driving economic prosperity for the East of England. We’re looking forward to working closely with Sizewell C and its supply chain partners to play our part in its successful and efficient delivery.”
