Sizewell C: £30bn nuclear power station given green light by Government

Sizewell C nuclear power station has received the go-ahead by the Government as it invests £700million into the scheme.

The move, which ministers said would create 10,000 highly skilled jobs and provide reliable low-carbon power to the equivalent of six million homes for more than 50 years, is part of efforts to secure UK energy security.

The Government also said it would set up an arms-length body, Great British Nuclear, which would develop a pipeline of nuclear projects beyond Sizewell C.

The plant, developed by French energy giant EDF, will be the second of a new generation of nuclear power reactors, after the delayed Hinkley Point C scheme in Somerset which is under construction, but has seen costs climb since it was first given the go-ahead.

It will sit alongside the existing Sizewell B nuclear reactor on the Suffolk coast.

When complete, it is estimated the plant’s two reactors will provide 3.2 gigawatt of generation capacity – around a tenth of the UK’s average energy demand. It will be capable of generating electricity for six million homes for up to 60 years.

Sizewell C is expected to plug a gap in Britain’s nuclear capabilities – most UK plants will be shut by 2030. Sizewell B is due to close in 2035, although its lifetime may be extended.

The project is expected to cost between £20-£30bn and take about 15 years to build.

Private funding is to be sought for the project, which is estimated to cost up to £30bn, with the Government expected to put forward a proposed 20 per cent stake of up to £6bn when a final decision on public investment is made early next year.

Sizewell C will be the UK’s first new nuclear power station in 27 years, following Sizewell B’s completion in 1995. The sister plant began construction in 1987 and was commissioned into operation eight years later.

The site formed a crucial pillar in Boris Johnson’s plan to green-light eight new nuclear reactors over the next eight years.

In his final policy speech as prime minister, he urged his successors to “go nuclear and go large and go with Sizewell C”.