The UK Government has announced a £14.2 billion investment to build Sizewell C nuclear plant as part of the Spending Review.
The Chancellor is set to confirm the funding at the GMB Congress ahead of the Government’s Spending Review, with the investment creating up to 10,000 jobs, including 1,500 apprenticeships.
Some £330m in contracts have been signed with local companies and will boost supply chains across the UK with 70% of contracts predicted to go to 3,500 British suppliers.
The equivalent of around six million of today’s homes will be powered with clean homegrown energy from Sizewell C.
No new nuclear plant has opened in the UK since 1995, with all of the existing fleet except Sizewell B likely to be phased out by the early 2030s.
Sizewell C was one of eight sites identified in 2009 by then-Energy Secretary Ed Miliband as a potential site for new nuclear.
Once small modular reactors and Sizewell C come online in the 2030s, combined with Hinkley Point C, this will deliver more new nuclear to grid than over the previous half century combined, the government said.
Great British Nuclear is also expected to announce the outcome of its small modular reactor competition imminently. Small modular reactors are expected to power millions of homes with clean energy and help fuel power-hungry industries like AI data centres.
This follows reforms to planning rules announced by the Prime Minister in February 2025 to make it easier to build nuclear across the country.
The government is also looking to provide a route for private sector-led advanced nuclear projects to be deployed in the UK, alongside investing £300m in developing the world’s first non-Russian supply of the advanced fuels needed to run them.
Companies will be able to work with the government to continue their development with potential investment from the National Wealth Fund. The government is also investing in R&D for fusion energy, investing over £2.5 billion over 5 years.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said:
“Today we are once again investing in Britian’s renewal, with the biggest nuclear building programme in a generation. This landmark decision is our Plan for Change in action.
“We are creating thousands of jobs, kickstarting economic growth and putting more money people’s pockets.”
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.”
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