Major milestone reached for new nuclear in Cumbria

2 May 2014 03:27 PM

A major step has been taken towards a new nuclear power station at Moorside, West Cumbria, that will create at least £10 billion worth of investment and thousands of jobs. 

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has agreed key commercial terms with Toshiba and its partner GDF Suez to extend a land option agreement that reaffirms the consortium’s commitment to build three reactors at Moorside. The reactors, to come online from 2024, will deliver 3.4GW of new nuclear capacity, enough to power up to 6 million homes.

It is estimated that the project will result in 14, 000 of jobs over the construction period for the three reactors, including peak on-site employment of more than 6,000 people. In the operational phase the three reactors will sustain around 1,000 permanent jobs over the course of the reactors’ lifetimes.

The Prime Minister David Cameron said:

“Today we can announce the huge investment being made by Toshiba and Westinghouse – over £200 million – into the rebuilding of the British nuclear industry, specifically in the North West of our country, in a project that could provide as many as 14,000 jobs during the construction phase, and many thousands of jobs ongoing, as well as providing low-carbon, base load electricity for Britain. This is a symbol of the growing relationship between Britain and Japan.”

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey said:

“This is an important step forward in the plans for a new nuclear power station at Moorside – a plant that will generate enough clean electricity to power around 6 million homes.

“Moorside means outstanding opportunities for Britain – thousands of jobs during construction and billions of pounds of investment in Britain’s booming energy sector. The new nuclear programme is a core part of our drive to build a new, clean energy sector in Britain to tackle climate change as the same time as we deal with a legacy of underinvestment in Britain’s energy sector, ensure we remain among the most energy secure countries in the world.”

NDA Chief Executive Officer John Clarke said:

“This is a significant step forward for the plan to establish new nuclear in West Cumbria. Together with our nuclear partners we are seeing the emergence of West Cumbria as a centre of nuclear excellence across the whole span of the industry from new build to decommissioning and waste management.”