Latest news with #StopSizewellC
Channel 4
2 days ago
- Science
- Channel 4
Debate: should the UK be betting big on nuclear energy?
We're joined by Tim Gregory, a nuclear chemist and author of 'Going Nuclear; How the Atom Will Save the World', and Alison Downes, Executive Director of Stop Sizewell C.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How long will it take for Sizewell C power station to make energy bills lower?
Rachel Reeves has signed off on £14.2 billion of investment to build the new Sizewell C nuclear plant, in a bid to give the UK more control over its energy supplies and to tackle the climate crisis. The Chancellor is set to confirm the funding for the new plant in Suffolk at the GMB Congress on Tuesday ahead of the Treasury's spending review on Wednesday. It will mark the first nuclear power plant to be completed in more than half-a-century, with the site expected to produce enough power for six million homes when it opens. Energy secretary Ed Miliband said the UK needs "new nuclear" to deliver "a golden age of clean energy abundance" to bring down energy bills and "tackle the climate crisis". However, campaigners have warned that the final bill for the project will be far higher than expected, with one group describing it as "HS2 mark 2", and fear the plant may be "obsolete" by the time it is built. So, will the Sizewell C nuclear plant lower our energy bills? And if so, how long will it take? Sizewell C will be located near the small fishing village of Sizewell, on the Suffolk coast between Aldeburgh and Southwold. It is being built next to Sizewell B, a pressurised water reactor nuclear power plant, which began operating in 1995 and is the last nuclear plant to be completed in the UK. Some locals fear the environmental impact of Sizewell C. Jenny Kirtley of the Together Against Sizewell C group told ITV News: "You've only got to look around the area and see the devastation that's happened. "There are a huge mountains of earth everywhere and of course the wildlife is suffering. The deer don't know where to go. They're rambling around everywhere. The birds are leaving their nests." Also concerned about the impact on the local economy, Kirtley added: "We've got 6,000 people living around here so where are people going to live? We know rents are going sky-high so it's going to get worse." Click below to see the latest East England headlines The chancellor has signed off on £14.2 billion of investment to build the new Sizewell C nuclear plant. Meanwhile Rolls-Royce has been named as the preferred bidder to build small modular reactors (SMRs) in a programme backed by £2.5 billion of taxpayers' cash. The government said its investment will go towards creating 10,000 jobs, including 1,500 apprenticeships, and support thousands more jobs across the UK. The company Sizewell C has already signed £330 million in contracts with local companies, with 70% of contracts predicted to go to 3,500 British suppliers. Alison Downes of the Stop Sizewell C campaign group, said ministers have not "come clean" about the full cost of the project, which her group previously estimated could come to around £40 billion. 'Where is the benefit for voters in ploughing more money into Sizewell C that could be spent on other priorities, and when the project will add to consumer bills and is guaranteed to be late and overspent just like Hinkley C?," she said. Miliband has denied suggestions that the project will be 'HS2 mark 2' – a reference to the high-speed rail project that ballooned in cost amid repeated delays. 'I don't agree with that," he told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, arguing that because the plant is a "replica" of the Hinkley Point C station, under construction in Somerset, "we can be confident it can be built cheaper and faster". The plant is expected to be operational some time in the 2030s. Pressed on how long the project will take, Miliband told the Today programme: 'Around a decade. That's what we believe is likely, mid-2030s is the date that we're putting on this.' EDF Energy, which owns 16.5% of the project, said in 2023 that in a "best-case scenario", the "earliest that one of the two reactors could be operational would be the end of 2033". Hereward Phillpot, a lawyer for the company, said the schedule for the project anticipates that both reactors will be operational by mid-2034. In 2022, the previous Conservative government bought out China General Nuclear Power Group, meaning the state now owns 83.5% of the project, Sky News reported. Environmental activist and founder of green energy company Ecotricity, Dale Vince, said nuclear projects are "never on time", pointing out that Hinkley Point C was originally meant to be switched-on in 2017 and is now expected to be operational from 2031. Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain on 10 June, Miliband accepted that the completion of the plant will not immediately have an impact on people's energy bills. "It isn't, but it's about the long-term," he said, suggesting more investment in nuclear will give Britain greater control and security over its energy supplies. "My position is that we need all of these low-carbon alternatives. At the moment, we're stuck on the fossil fuel rollercoaster," the energy secretary said. "There's gas markets internationally, which shape the price, controlled by petro-states and dictators. We're doing the short-term things, like solar and wind, and we're doing the long-term things – and it's good for jobs as well." Sizewell C has said the project could deliver more than £1-1.5 billion of annual savings across the electricity system when it is up and running, but it is hard to tell how this will be passed down to ordinary household bills. Vince argued that due to funding coming from people's household bills, "billpayers will be forced to subsidise Sizewell for years, no matter how much the costs balloon". He said keeping the plant safe from an eroding Suffolk coastline "will cost billions more, and every upgrade will land on our energy bills". Read more Voices: Could 'going nuclear' finally end Ed Miliband's career? (The Independent) Rolls-Royce to build Britain's first mini nuclear reactors (The Telegraph) China banned from investing in Sizewell C, energy secretary Ed Miliband vows (The Independent)
Arabian Post
2 days ago
- Business
- Arabian Post
UK Invests £14 Billion in Nuclear Revival
A decisive £14.2 billion funding package has been confirmed to propel the construction of the Sizewell C nuclear power station and to seed the development of the country's first small modular reactor fleet. The government asserts this marks a pivotal moment in reshaping the national energy landscape, targeting energy security, net‑zero goals, and economic growth through job creation and industrial benefits. Energy secretary Ed Miliband described the commitment as heralding a 'golden age of nuclear', driven by the need to break free from volatile fossil‑fuel dependencies and rapidly rising electricity demand projected for mid‑century. The financing will facilitate two French-designed EPR reactors at Sizewell C in Suffolk—expected to supply electricity for approximately six million households—and support a pioneering SMR programme by Rolls‑Royce SMR, designed to generate up to 1.5 GW across multiple sites. The Sizewell C project has been under consideration since 2010, and the latest capital injection resolves enduring uncertainties surrounding its fate. State funding of £14.2 billion, alongside previous public commitments, brings total taxpayer investment to nearly £17.8 billion. EDF holds a 16.2% share in the project, with government ownership at 83.8% as of December—which is likely to shift over time. ADVERTISEMENT At the height of construction, Sizewell C is expected to employ around 10,000 people and create 1,500 apprenticeship roles. Contracts totalling £330 million have already been awarded locally, with forecasts indicating up to 70% of future contracts going to UK‑based suppliers, encompassing over 3,500 domestic firms. The SMR competition concluded with Rolls‑Royce SMR chosen as the preferred builder after two years of evaluation against rivals Holtec and GE Hitachi. HM Treasury has pledged £2.5 billion for SMR development over five years, and government agency Great British Nuclear anticipates deploying three Rolls‑Royce reactors, generating around 3 GW and supporting 3,000 jobs at peak construction. Rolls‑Royce SMR emphasises its reactors will be factory‑built pressurised water designs intended to reduce cost, complexity, and delivery times, with grid connection anticipated in the mid‑2030s. Chief executive Chris Cholerton hailed the decision as 'a milestone achievement' for domestic growth and high‑skilled jobs. Critics caution that such megaprojects often encounter cost overruns and delays—Hinkley Point C being cited as a cautionary precedent. Detractors warn that the Sizewell C cost may escalate to £40 billion and that consumer electricity bills may increase by approximately £1 monthly to fund the investment recovery. Alison Downes of Stop Sizewell C questioned whether full costs have been disclosed and argued the project risks burdening taxpayers and households. The government contends it has learned from Hinkley by establishing a new regulatory and commercial framework intended to align shareholder incentives with schedule and budget adherence. Ofgem will act as economic regulator to safeguard consumer interests. Complementary investments include £2.5 billion in fusion energy research over five years; £6 billion towards the submarine industrial base, and subsequent investments in advanced fuel infrastructure aimed at reducing reliance on non‑domestic nuclear fuel sources. EDF's UK CEO Simone Rossi welcomed the funding decision as an affirmation of Hinkley Point C's role in revitalising Britain's nuclear expertise and capacity. Industry leaders such as Tom Greatrex of the Nuclear Industry Association view the integrated Sizewell C and SMR strategy as a crucial industrial and export opportunity for British nuclear manufacturing.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Spending review latest: Government accused of not ‘coming clean' over full costs of Sizewell C nuclear plant
Ministers have been accused of not 'coming clean' about the costs of nuclear power projects, as the chancellor signs off £14.2 billion of investment to build the new Sizewell C nuclear plant. Rachel Reeves has committed billions to nuclear power projects as she prepares to use Wednesday's spending review to allocate funding for major infrastructure projects over the rest of the decade. The Suffolk plant, which ministers said would power the equivalent of six million homes, is expected to take around a decade to complete, with officials hoping it will be operational before the end of the 2030s. Energy secretary Ed Miliband said new nuclear power capacity was needed to deliver a 'golden age of clean energy abundance'. But the announcement has been criticised by some, who say the full cost of the Sizewell C plant could be as much as £40 billion. Alison Downes, of Stop Sizewell C, said: 'Where is the benefit for voters in ploughing more money into Sizewell C that could be spent on other priorities, and when the project will add to consumer bills and is guaranteed to be late and overspent just like Hinkley C?' China banned from investing in Sizewell C, energy secretary Ed Miliband vows China will be blocked from investing in the new Sizewell C power station, the energy secretary has said. Asked whether China would be able to invest in the new power station, in Suffolk, Ed Miliband told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'No'. But he declined to rule out investment from other foreign governments, saying: 'I'm not going to go into who the private bidders are. We've got a process at the moment. 'It's majority public investment in this, in Sizewell C. We're going to get some private investment in, but obviously, that always goes through national security checks. 'It's about making sure that any bidders… are people you would want owning part of your nuclear power station.' Athena Stavrou10 June 2025 10:27 Ministers accused of 'not coming clean' about full cost of Sizewell C Alison Downes, of Stop Sizewell C, said ministers had not 'come clean' about the full cost of the project, which the group have previously estimated could be some £40 billion. She said: 'Where is the benefit for voters in ploughing more money into Sizewell C that could be spent on other priorities, and when the project will add to consumer bills and is guaranteed to be late and overspent just like Hinkley C?' Athena Stavrou10 June 2025 10:26 Sizewell C nuclear plant to be built with £14.2bn government funding Rachel Reeves has agreed to pump billions of pounds into Britain's nuclear energy sector, putting £14.2bn towards construction of the new Sizewell C nuclear power station. The multi-billion pound investment will be confirmed by the chancellor at the GMB union's annual congress on Tuesday, just days before she is expected to make sweeping cuts to unprotected departments at Wednesday's spending review. The Suffolk plant, which ministers said would power the equivalent of six million homes, is expected to take around a decade to complete, with officials hoping it will be operational before the end of the 2030s. Athena Stavrou10 June 2025 10:08
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Two reasons why the UK has pledged £14b to Sizewell C
Rachel Reeves has approved £14.2 billion in funding for the Sizewell C nuclear power station, with the aim to enhance UK energy security and cut carbon emissions. The Treasury anticipates the project will generate 10,000 jobs, including 1,500 apprenticeships, with £330 million in contracts already signed with local businesses. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband views the plant as crucial for a 'golden age of clean energy abundance,' reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The government plans to invest £2.5 billion over five years in fusion energy research and confirm one of Europe's first small modular reactor programmes to boost the UK's nuclear industry. Campaigners, such as Alison Downes of Stop Sizewell C, criticise the investment, estimating the project's full cost could reach £40 billion and warning of potential cost overruns and increased consumer bills.
