UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £14.2bn Sizewell C Investment
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has hailed the dawn of a “golden age” for clean energy as the government pledges £14.2 billion to build Sizewell C, the UK’s first state-owned nuclear power station in over 30 years.
The UK government has pledged a landmark £14.2 billion in public funding to advance construction of the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk, signalling a bold shift back to state-backed energy infrastructure, after years of uncertainty.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will be unveiling the investment at the GMB Congress later today, declaring it as part of a broader strategy to boost energy security, tackle climate change, and create thousands of high-quality jobs.The move is expected to generate 10,000 jobs at the peak of construction, including 1,500 apprenticeships, while powering the equivalent of six million homes with low-carbon electricity. The decision is a key milestone in the Government's 'Plan for Change', which includes making the UK a clean energy superpower.
Sizewell C will be the first state-owned nuclear power station in the UK in over three decades and is projected to deliver 3.2 gigawatts of clean power once operational. The government now holds a majority stake alongside EDF, the French energy giant, which retains a 15% share. A final investment decision is expected next month, as ministers continue to engage potential investors, including pension funds and infrastructure firms. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband ruled out Chinese funding from the potential investors.
The commitment comes amid wider government plans to ramp up clean energy production. Rolls-Royce has been named the preferred bidder to develop the UK’s first small modular reactors (SMRs), while £2.5 billion will be invested over five years in fusion energy research, including at a world-leading fusion plant in Nottinghamshire. Delivering on its Strategic Defence Review, the government is also committing over £6 billion of investment to its nuclear submarine industrial base.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the investment marked the end of a long period of inaction, describing nuclear as a cornerstone of the UK’s transition to a net-zero economy: “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”. Meanwhile, campaigners have voiced concerns over costs and delivery risks but the government insists the programme will provide long-term economic and environmental returns.
Taken together, the plans represent the UK’s most ambitious nuclear programme in a generation, aimed at ending fossil fuel dependence and preparing the grid for future electricity demand.
Read the press release here
