Britain on the brink of a nuclear renaissance
Workers installing the UK’s first new nuclear reactor in 30 years at Hinkley Point C in December. Credit: EDF
The fourth annual Nuclear Week in Parliament is taking place this week, an opportunity for the UK’s civil nuclear industry to showcase the very best the sector has to offer, from operating power stations to manufacturing fuel, decommissioning plants, engineering, manufacturing, and technology, and to underscore the urgent need for more nuclear projects for clean power, energy security, economic growth, and jobs.
Britain is on the brink of a nuclear renaissance. This next period up to the Spending Review is one of the most critical in our 70-year history as we await final decisions on Sizewell C and the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) competition which should pave the way for more projects, more jobs and greater certainty for the supply chain.
With the government’s commitment to clean power by 2030, net-zero by 2050, our continued dependence on fossil gas to keep the lights on, and an energy crisis still fresh in the memory, now is the time to push on and make the decisions that will ensure we keep pace with the long list of other countries also building out their nuclear capacity and ensure we have enough clean, reliable, British nuclear on the bars.
The industry recognises this and employs 10,000 more people compared to last year. With over 85,000 jobs at nuclear sites and across the supply chain, they remain the bedrock of communities in every corner of Britain, providing long-term, highly skilled and well-paid jobs in local areas that need them most, generating over £6bn in GDP in the process.
A new independent report released yesterday commissioned by EDF1 captures the sector’s significant contribution and looks at the economic impact of the current fleet of stations, which so far have contributed more than £123bn to the UK economy since the two oldest stations started operating in 1976. If it’s economic growth the government wants, then a strong nuclear sector can help deliver it.
Since the NIA’s last Nuclear Week in Parliament, we have welcomed a new government and with it a new Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary, Ed Miliband, and a new minister responsible for nuclear, Lord Hunt, who both recognise the importance of ramping up nuclear capacity as part of the government’s clean power and growth agendas.
The Energy Secretary was in a buoyant mood when he addressed our annual conference in December and was impressed by the huge contribution made by all parts of the sector. He was particularly struck by data from Hinkley Point C which shows a 25 per cent growth in people aged 25 to 39 living in the local area since 2011, which shows “what new nuclear can do for places around our country.”
In closing his speech he said that “on the grounds of energy security, jobs and climate, the nuclear industry has an essential role in our mission.” The sector stands ready to help deliver that mission.
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The current Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, at last year’s Nuclear Week in Parliament. Credit: NIA
It’s very important that we now build on the progress made in 2024. Life extensions for Heysham 1 & 2, Hartlepool and Torness represented the single biggest contribution to Clean Power 2030 last year, and the Wylfa and Oldbury sites were purchased by Great British Nuclear (GBN). GBN also began negotiations with the final four vendors in the SMR Competition, and the government committed an additional £2.7bn to continue the development of Sizewell C through 2025-26.
Now, at the start of 2025, two crucial decisions in the coming months will underscore the government’s commitment: Sizewell C receiving its Final Investment Decision and Great British Nuclear selecting the SMR technologies for development. Both decisions will plant a flag firmly in favour of civil nuclear development, an absolutely crucial indicator to industry that the UK is the place to invest.
To that end, the government urgently needs to publish its green taxonomy, with nuclear’s inclusion, so that projects can access the same financing mechanisms as other clean energy technologies.
There is also progress to be made on the UK’s Geological Disposal Facility, which is essential to managing our legacy in a responsible way, and we hope that a willing host community and suitable site is identified soon. The significant and important work carried out across the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) sites provides long-term skills and fosters innovation in a specialised supply chain that leads the world in many respects. Environmental stewardship is an important part of what our industry does.
As we have seen in the last year alone, government support for civil nuclear projects provides industry with the clarity and confidence to hire more people, take bolder steps, and kickstart the sector when we are most needed.
This is where the work really counts. Industry must continue to highlight to government at every given opportunity that current nuclear stations are on the clock, and time is running out. We must have new projects in progress before our current stations retire, clarify and support alternative routes to market for advanced nuclear technologies so developers can get to work, and start manufacturing SMRs at sites across the country.
Our promise, and the country’s opportunity, continues to be to build, build, build.
- EDF, 'Economic Impact of EDF's Nuclear Fleet from 1976 to 2024. Final Report', January 2025.
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