Sizewell C gets £14.2 billion green light

The Government has pledged £14.2 billion to build the Sizewell C nuclear power station on the Suffolk coastline, in what energy secretary Ed Miliband is calling “the biggest nuclear programme in a generation”.

First proposed in 2010, the project is expected to take more than a decade to complete and aims to generate enough electricity to power six million homes. 

It is forecast to create 10,000 direct jobs and thousands more across the supply chain.

Mr Miliband described the decision as part of “making long-term decisions for the future of the country,” adding that nuclear power would be “essential” to meeting the UK’s climate targets and getting “Britain off the fossil fuel rollercoaster”.

He 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.”

The investment is part of a broader strategy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and accelerate the UK’s shift to clean power, with nuclear energy playing a central role. 

Sizewell C will mirror the Hinkley Point C station, in Somerset, but aims to be delivered more quickly and efficiently. 

It also supports the Government’s wider ambitions to develop small modular reactors and invest in nuclear fusion, including a prototype project at the former West Burton coal-fired power station site, in Nottinghamshire.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the “landmark decision” would “kickstart” economic growth and was a central pillar in the Government’s £113 billion capital investment package. 

She added: “It’s a bold move to secure our energy future and deliver jobs and growth across the country.” 

However, the announcement has drawn criticism from campaigners over its cost, environmental impact and lack of a final investment decision.

Alison Downes, director of the Stop Sizewell C campaign group, said: “There still appears to be no final investment decision for Sizewell C but £14.2 billion in taxpayers’ funding – a decision we condemn and firmly believe the Government will come to regret. 

“Starmer and Reeves have just signed up to HS2 mark 2.”

She added: “Ministers have still not come clean about Sizewell C’s cost. 

“Given negotiations with private investors are incomplete, they have signed away all leverage and will be forced to offer generous deals that undermine value for money.”

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