Reports related to this article:
Project(s): View 1 related project in PECWeb
Released June 16, 2025 | GALWAY, IRELAND
en
Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The U.K. government is backing its promise of a "Golden Age" for nuclear energy by committing £14.2 billion (US$19 billion) to build its next nuclear power plant, Sizewell C in Suffolk, England.
The plant is identical to the Hinkley Point C plant currently under construction in Somerset by Electricité de France (EDF) (Paris, France), who will also oversee the Sizewell C project. It will boast two European Pressurized Reactor-2 (EPR2) reactors from EDF that will produce 3.2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, enough to power the equivalent of around 6 million homes. It will be only the second new project in the U.K. in 40 years and comes at a time when all of the U.K.'s remaining reactors face closure. Nuclear power currently supplies around 14% of the U.K.'s total power from five active plants that supply roughly 6.5 GW. However, most of those plants will be offline well before the end of the decade - before the first new reactor at Hinkley is commissioned. A final investment decision is expected this summer.
Sizewell C is expected to create 10,000 jobs during construction, including 1,500 apprenticeships, according to the government. The funding for Sizewell C comes as the government is set to confirm one of Europe's first small modular reactor (SMR) programmes. It has also committed record investment in research and development for fusion energy, worth more than £2.5 billion over five years, including the STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) programme at its fusion plant in Nottinghamshire. For additional information, see March 10, 2025, article - U.K. To Pick Mini Nuclear Winner by Spring.
U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: "We will not accept the status quo of failing to invest in the future and energy insecurity for our country. 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."
There is opposition to the Sizewell C project from local and national environmental groups, as well as concerns over the final price tag for the project, considering all of the issues with the Hinkley Point C project. Last year, Industrial Info reported that Hinkley was facing new delays of up to four years and a potential price hike of up to a third, bringing the eventual cost to £46 billion (US$62 billion). In 2015, EDF said the project would cost (in 2015 prices) £18 billion (US$24.2 billion), with a 2025 startup date. In 2022, the price tag for the Hinkley project was then upped to £26 billion (US$35 billion), with a target date for completion of the first reactor, Unit 1, in June 2027. The latest figure now puts that cost at up to £34 billion (US$46 billion)--in today's money and accounting for higher prices and inflation, that's £46 billion (US$62 billion). The startup date has been pushed out to 2030-2031. Last year, Industrial Info reported that EDF had denied reports that the original costs for Sizewell C would double to £40 billion (US$54 billion). For additional information, see January 29, 2025, article - EDF Denies New U.K. Nuclear Project Costs Have Doubled.
Alison Downes from the Stop Sizewell C campaign group said: "There still appears to be no final investment decision for Sizewell C, but £14.2 billion in taxpayers' funding, a decision we condemn and firmly believe the government will come to regret. The project will add to consumer bills and is guaranteed to be late and overspent just like Hinkley C. Ministers have still not come clean about Sizewell C's cost, and given negotiations with private investors are incomplete, they have signed away all leverage and will be forced to offer generous deals that undermine value for money."
The funding was welcomed by the country's Nuclear Industry Association (NIA). Tom Greatrex, NIA chief executive, said: "This new nuclear programme will give the country the jobs, the economic growth and the energy security we need to ensure a secure and reliable power supply for the future. This announcement shows the government is serious about new nuclear, and realising the economic benefits that come with it, and will be welcomed in communities the length and breadth of Britain."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
The plant is identical to the Hinkley Point C plant currently under construction in Somerset by Electricité de France (EDF) (Paris, France), who will also oversee the Sizewell C project. It will boast two European Pressurized Reactor-2 (EPR2) reactors from EDF that will produce 3.2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, enough to power the equivalent of around 6 million homes. It will be only the second new project in the U.K. in 40 years and comes at a time when all of the U.K.'s remaining reactors face closure. Nuclear power currently supplies around 14% of the U.K.'s total power from five active plants that supply roughly 6.5 GW. However, most of those plants will be offline well before the end of the decade - before the first new reactor at Hinkley is commissioned. A final investment decision is expected this summer.
Sizewell C is expected to create 10,000 jobs during construction, including 1,500 apprenticeships, according to the government. The funding for Sizewell C comes as the government is set to confirm one of Europe's first small modular reactor (SMR) programmes. It has also committed record investment in research and development for fusion energy, worth more than £2.5 billion over five years, including the STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) programme at its fusion plant in Nottinghamshire. For additional information, see March 10, 2025, article - U.K. To Pick Mini Nuclear Winner by Spring.
U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: "We will not accept the status quo of failing to invest in the future and energy insecurity for our country. 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."
There is opposition to the Sizewell C project from local and national environmental groups, as well as concerns over the final price tag for the project, considering all of the issues with the Hinkley Point C project. Last year, Industrial Info reported that Hinkley was facing new delays of up to four years and a potential price hike of up to a third, bringing the eventual cost to £46 billion (US$62 billion). In 2015, EDF said the project would cost (in 2015 prices) £18 billion (US$24.2 billion), with a 2025 startup date. In 2022, the price tag for the Hinkley project was then upped to £26 billion (US$35 billion), with a target date for completion of the first reactor, Unit 1, in June 2027. The latest figure now puts that cost at up to £34 billion (US$46 billion)--in today's money and accounting for higher prices and inflation, that's £46 billion (US$62 billion). The startup date has been pushed out to 2030-2031. Last year, Industrial Info reported that EDF had denied reports that the original costs for Sizewell C would double to £40 billion (US$54 billion). For additional information, see January 29, 2025, article - EDF Denies New U.K. Nuclear Project Costs Have Doubled.
Alison Downes from the Stop Sizewell C campaign group said: "There still appears to be no final investment decision for Sizewell C, but £14.2 billion in taxpayers' funding, a decision we condemn and firmly believe the government will come to regret. The project will add to consumer bills and is guaranteed to be late and overspent just like Hinkley C. Ministers have still not come clean about Sizewell C's cost, and given negotiations with private investors are incomplete, they have signed away all leverage and will be forced to offer generous deals that undermine value for money."
The funding was welcomed by the country's Nuclear Industry Association (NIA). Tom Greatrex, NIA chief executive, said: "This new nuclear programme will give the country the jobs, the economic growth and the energy security we need to ensure a secure and reliable power supply for the future. This announcement shows the government is serious about new nuclear, and realising the economic benefits that come with it, and will be welcomed in communities the length and breadth of Britain."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
