UK Confirms £14.2 Billion Investment in Sizewell C

The government has announced a significant commitment of £14.2 billion to fund the construction of the Sizewell C nuclear power station. This marks a decisive step aimed at ending years of delays and lingering uncertainty surrounding the project.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to confirm the funding at the GMB Union’s annual congress taking place today, the 10th of June. Her announcement is expected just ahead of the government’s wider spending review. Alongside this move, the government is also preparing to unveil one of Europe’s earliest programmes focused on small modular reactors, widely referred to as SMRs.

Officials have stated that the Sizewell C investment will generate 10,000 jobs. This includes 1,500 apprenticeships and is expected to support thousands more positions across the United Kingdom.

The project has already made an impact at the local level. Sizewell C has signed £330 million worth of contracts with businesses in the surrounding region. Nationally, supply chains are expected to benefit, with an estimated 70 per cent of contracts awarded to approximately 3,500 British suppliers.

At its core, Sizewell C is a multi-billion-pound development. The initiative is led by the French energy firm EDF. It involves the construction of a nuclear power station with a capacity of 3,200 megawatts electrical. It will house two European Pressurised Reactors and be located in the county of Suffolk.

Once operational, the facility is projected to provide clean, domestically produced energy to around six million homes based on current consumption levels.

Earlier this year, the engineering solutions company Costain was awarded a role within a decade-long framework. Their responsibilities will include providing resourcing support and making contributions to delivery integration, quality assurance, and engineering coordination throughout the project lifecycle.