Green light for Sizewell C: Government announces £14 billion scheme for new nuclear power station
10 June 2025, 00:03 | Updated: 10 June 2025, 11:10
Rachel Reeves has signed off on £14.2 billion of investment to build the new Sizewell C nuclear plant as part of the spending review.
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The Chancellor is set to confirm the funding at the GMB Congress on Tuesday.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said new nuclear power capacity was needed to deliver a "golden age of clean energy abundance".
Mr Miliband told LBC's Nick Ferrari: "When we talk about being a clean energy superpower and getting off fossil fuels, nuclear is absolutely part of this.
"It creates tens of thousands of good jobs, 10,000 jobs at Sizewell alone, 1500 apprenticeships. And it's crucial to tackling the climate crisis as well."
Trade unions welcomed the move, which the Treasury said would go towards creating 10,000 jobs, including 1,500 apprenticeships.
But the head of a campaign group opposing the plant criticised the decision to commit the funding, saying it is still not clear what the total cost will be.
Nuclear plants are seen as increasingly important electricity sources as the Government tries to decarbonise Britain's grid by 2030, replacing fossil fuels with green power.
The last time Britain completed one was in 1987, which was the Sizewell B plant.
Hinkley Point C, in Somerset, is under construction and is expected to produce enough power for about six million homes when it opens, but that may not be until 2031.
The Energy Secretary said: "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."
The joint managing directors of Sizewell C, Julia Pyke and Nigel Cann, said: "Today marks the start of an exciting new chapter for Sizewell C, the UK's first British-owned nuclear power plant in over 30 years."
The GMB union said giving Sizewell C the go-ahead was "momentous".
Regional Secretary Warren Kenny said: "Nuclear power is essential for clean, affordable, and reliable energy - without new nuclear, there can be no net zero.
"Sizewell C will provide thousands of good, skilled, unionised jobs and we look forward to working closely with the Government and Sizewell C to help secure a greener future for this country's energy sector."
Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect, said: "Delivering this funding for Sizewell C is a vital step forward, this project is critical to securing the future of the nuclear industry in the UK.
"New nuclear is essential to achieving net zero, providing a baseload of clean and secure energy, as well as supporting good, unionised jobs.
"Further investment in SMRs and fusion research shows we are finally serious about developing a 21st-century nuclear industry. All funding must be backed up by a whole-industry plan to ensure we have the workforce and skills we need for these plans to succeed."
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Alison Downes of Stop Sizewell C told Vanessa Baffoe on LBC News they are against the move as it is too "slow, risky and expensive to be the solution to our climate emergency".
She said: "The £14.2bn that's been announced, along with money that's already been handed over, means the government spending £18bn of our money in this Parliament on a project that, by the time Parliament comes to an end, it will barely be halfway through."
"We absolutely agree that we can't remain dependent on gas, but Sizewell C's role in energy security is not totally guaranteed and for a start, there's no uranium in the UK," she added.
