Some of the UK’s biggest construction and nuclear firms have pledged to invest around £2.5 billion pounds in the north of England as part of plans for a new nuclear plant in Suffolk.
The agreement – a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Sizewell C Consortium and Cumbrian MPs, Simon Fell, Trudy Harrison, John Stevenson and Mark Jenkinson MP – outlines the potential investment for the North of England during the construction phase of the project.
Tier 1 suppliers Doosan Babcock, Laing O’Rourke, Atkins, and Jacobs are all signatories of the MOU as part of the over 100 strong Consortium of businesses showing a shared commitment to economic investment in the north of England.
The MOU agreement includes landmark pledges to:
- Invest around £2.5bn over the lifetime of construction and support 13,000 job opportunities in the North of England.
- Indicates a 15-year opportunity for suppliers from the North, based on a pipeline of EPR reactor development from Sizewell C to Moorside, allowing for long-term stability and growth.
- Work alongside local colleges, research centres and educational institutions to ensure that world class talent developed in the North is encouraged to enter the nuclear and construction industry. It is estimated that the nuclear industry will need 30,000 new employees in the next decade.
- Convene an inaugural annual Business Summit for the North and open a ‘shop front’ facility in Cumbria to enable local businesses to access work, contracts and generate new opportunities across the UK.
Cameron Gilmour, Spokesperson of the Sizewell C Consortium, said: “This MOU is another clear step forward to deliver the jobs, investment and long-term economic boost for the north that the Sizewell C project can deliver.
“We are ready to get going. All we need now is the green light from Government to make it happen.’’
The expertise and technology developed through Sizewell C, and the next in line ERP reactor at Moorside, will also lay the groundwork for the development of future clean nuclear technology such as nuclear-generated hydrogen, and Small and Advanced Modular Reactors (SMRs) in places such as Moorside, Cumbria.
In a joint statement, Cumbrian MPs, Mark Jenkinson, Trudy Harrison, Simon Fell and John Stevenson, said: “This MOU is proof that the economic benefits of Sizewell C will extend across the entire country, including the north of England.
“Sizewell C will help to provide the long-term skills and jobs that so many of our northern communities desperately need and can be the next step towards nuclear resurgence in Moorside.”
The North of England has long been a centre of expertise in nuclear power. It was home to the world’s first civil nuclear power station, Calder Hall, which opened in Cumbria in 1956. The industry currently employs 50,000 people in the North of England. The Hinkley Point C (HPC) project has invested £500 million in the region to date, with more to follow in the future.
