Judge major infrastructure by the legacy it leaves behind

It’s about the legacy it creates for people, the environment, and the economy.

Sizewell C is one of the UK’s biggest infrastructure projects in a generation, and while it will answer a key challenge – how we power our economy with affordable clean energy – it will also do so much more.

Projects like ours are rightly measured by whether we deliver on time and on budget. But they should also be judged by whether they leave the places they serve stronger than they found them. That means creating opportunities for young people. It means supporting local businesses. It means investing in skills, protecting the environment, and improving the well-being of the people who help build them.

That’s the philosophy we’re trying to embed across Sizewell C.

Our second Annual Sustainability Report, published this week, demonstrates the progress we’re making. More than £4.89bn has now been spent with over 1,000 UK suppliers, including £1.35 billion across the East of England. More than 2,000 people are working on site, over a third of whom come from the local area. And we’ve already created 120 apprenticeships, including 82 for people from Suffolk.

But these numbers only tell part of the story.

Over the lifetime of the project, we’ll create at least 1,500 apprenticeships, with a minimum of 540 reserved for people within the county. We’re progressing plans for a permanent post-16 College on the Coast in Leiston which will help ensure the skills developed throughout this project remain in the region long after construction is complete.

Just last week, Andy Burnham called for opportunity to reach every postcode in the country. We agree. Every young person deserves access to career opportunities, regardless of their background or where they live.

Major infrastructure has a unique role to play in addressing this. Projects bring investment, long-term employment, and supply chain opportunities to communities that often feel overlooked. If we get it right, they can become engines of social mobility as much as economic growth.

But legacy is about more than jobs.

Our Annual Sustainability Report shows we’re on course to deliver at least 19% biodiversity net gain, almost double the national requirement, with assessments indicating that this could go even further.

We’re also demonstrating that large infrastructure can embrace circular construction. More than 53,000 tonnes of concrete from the former Sizewell A and B power stations will be reused on the project, reducing waste, cutting transport, and lowering emissions. Looking after people is equally important. We’ve expanded our network of mental health first aiders to 167 colleagues because creating a safe and supportive workplace is every bit as important as delivering excellence in engineering.

However, none of this means life is easy for the communities hosting projects like ours. You can’t build one of Europe’s largest infrastructure projects without some disruption. It would be disingenuous to pretend otherwise. If we are asking people to put up with some inconvenience and change to the local landscape, then we have a responsibility to leave behind better habitats, stronger communities, and opportunities that last for generations.

After more than four decades in the nuclear industry, I’ve become convinced that the greatest infrastructure projects aren’t remembered simply because of what they built. They’re remembered because they transformed lives for the better.

The power station we’re building will generate reliable, low-carbon electricity for six million homes for at least 60 years. That’s a vital contribution to the country’s energy security.

But if, decades from now, people remember Sizewell C for creating careers, opening doors for young people, strengthening local businesses, restoring nature, and leaving Suffolk in a better place than we found it, then that will be another legacy to be proud of.

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Nigel Cann is chief executive of Sizewell C, the nuclear power station under construction in Suffolk.

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