Ministers yesterday (29 August) announced an additional £341 million of previously allocated funding to accelerate Sizewell C preparations.
Sizewell C will be a 3.2GW nuclear power plant located in Suffolk and developed by EDF.
The extra investment from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) will help prepare the site for construction, procure components from the project’s supply chain and expand its workforce.
Onsite training facilities for 1,500 apprenticeships will also be constructed on the Suffolk site, as well as further development of the plant’s engineering design.
The funding follows a “historic” £700 million investment from the UK government in November last year and an additional £170 million in July this year.
Sizewell C is the first major move undertaken by the UK government’s Great British Nuclear, launched in July 2023 and is set to power the equivalent of 6 million homes over 60 years and, at peak of construction work, provide 10,000 jobs nationwide.
“Sizewell C will be a significant part of the revival of nuclear energy in this country – providing clean, home-grown power to millions of homes, providing thousands of jobs and ending reliance on foreign electricity to bolster our energy security,” said minister for nuclear and networks, Andrew Bowie.
“[Yesterday’s] funding announcement is a clear demonstration of the government’s commitment to this vital project, and will mean the site will be shovel-ready, and work able to start, much more quickly.”
Sizewell C Company joint managing director, Julia Pyke, added: “This is great news and puts us in an even stronger position to start full construction. It will also allow us to implement several community schemes over the next few months.
“We want people living near Sizewell C to see the benefits of the project as soon as possible and we’re looking forward to getting started on a range of proposals which will bring real improvements to the area well before the main construction gets underway.”
Readers can learn more on the role of nuclear in the UK’s transition to net zero by reading this article.
