Sizewell C gets green light with final investment decision

Millions of working people will benefit from cheaper clean power, as the government agrees a landmark, multi-billion-pound deal to build Sizewell C – a major step forward in the delivery of a new ‘golden age’ of nuclear under the government’s Plan for Change. 

The Energy Secretary has today (22 July) signed the final investment decision for Sizewell C, which will deliver clean power for the equivalent of six million homes and support 10,000 jobs once operational. The deal represents the country’s most significant public investment in clean, homegrown energy this century – in a major boost for energy security, jobs and economic growth.  

The deal ends an era of dithering and delay to give Sizewell C the go-ahead, that will help secure Britain’s home-grown nuclear supply far beyond 2030. It marks a major step in the government’s clean energy superpower mission, which is about replacing the UK’s dependence on fossil fuel markets with clean homegrown power that the country controls, to bring down bills for good and protect family finances. 

The plant will deliver cheaper clean electricity for generations of families for at least six decades. Analysis shows the project could create savings of £2 billion a year across the future low-carbon electricity system once operational – leading to cheaper power for consumers. 

The project will also help to kick-start economic growth and get Britain building. At peak construction, Sizewell C will support 10,000 jobs directly employed in the project, and thousands more in the nationwide supply chain, as well as creating 1,500 apprenticeships. Seventy per cent of the value of construction is set to be awarded to British businesses – Sizewell C Ltd anticipates it will have 3,500 UK companies in its supply chain across the entire country.   

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said

It is time to do big things and build big projects in this country again- and today we announce an investment that will provide clean, homegrown power to millions of homes for generations to come. 

This government is making the investment needed to deliver a new golden age of nuclear, so we can end delays and free us from the ravages of the global fossil fuel markets to bring bills down for good.

The government has confirmed it will take an initial 44.9 per cent stake to become the single biggest equity shareholder in the project – meaning the British people will benefit from the government’s investment.  

The new Sizewell C shareholders include La Caisse with 20 per cent, Centrica with 15 per cent, and Amber Infrastructure with an initial 7.6 per cent. This comes alongside French energy giant EDF taking a 12.5 per cent take in the project, set out earlier this month, as well as a proposed £5 billion debt guarantee from France’s export credit agency, Bpifrance Assurance Export, to back the company’s commercial bank loans.  

Alongside this investment, the National Wealth Fund – the government’s principal investor and policy bank – is making its first investment in nuclear energy. It will provide the majority of the project’s debt finance, working alongside Bpifrance Assurance Export, to help support the building of the power plant. 

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said

La Caisse, Centrica and Amber’s multi-billion pound investment is a powerful endorsement of the UK as the best place to do business and as a global hub for nuclear energy. 

Delivering next generation, publicly-owned clean power is vital to our energy security and growth, which is why we backed Sizewell C.  This investment will create thousands of good quality jobs and boost the local economy as we deliver on our Plan for Change.

Julia Pyke and Nigel Cann, Joint Managing Directors of Sizewell C, said

We’re delighted to welcome new investors alongside Government and EDF who, like our suppliers, have strong incentives to keep costs under control and ensure we deliver Sizewell C successfully for consumers and taxpayers 

By investing in Sizewell C, they are laying the foundations for a more secure, cleaner and more affordable energy system. Because 70% of our construction spend will be in the UK, with a £4.4bn commitment to the east of England, they will also help to create thousands of great jobs and new opportunities for people and businesses up and down the country.  

We are determined to deliver this major infrastructure differently, and to make sure this is a project Britain can be proud of.

The investment deal builds on lessons learnt from the construction of Hinkley Point C to provide a funding model that spreads the around £38 billion cost of constructing Sizewell C between consumers, taxpayers and private investors. This represents a saving of around 20 per cent compared with Hinkley Point C and demonstrates the value of building a virtual replica project. 

For the first time, the British people will be co-owners of a nuclear power plant alongside experienced private sector partners – with consumers to benefit from the government’s investment. This will ensure the impact on consumer bills is limited to an average of around £1 per month over the duration of Sizewell C’s construction, with the nuclear plant to deliver cheaper clean power for decades to come once operational. 

Despite the UK’s strong nuclear legacy, including opening the world’s first commercial nuclear power station in the 1950s, no new nuclear plant has opened in the UK since 1995, with all of the existing fleet except Sizewell B likely to be phased out by the early 2030s.   

Sizewell C was one of eight sites identified in 2009 by then-Energy Secretary Ed Miliband as a potential site for new nuclear. However, the project was not fully funded in the 14 years that followed under subsequent governments.   

The government’s nuclear programme is now the most ambitious for a generation. Once small modular reactors and Sizewell C come online in the 2030s, combined with Hinkley Point C, this will deliver more new nuclear to the grid than over the previous half century combined. 

Recently, the government also set out next steps for small modular reactors in the UK and last month selected Rolls-Royce SMR as the preferred bidder to build first reactors of this kind in the country. Following this, the Prime Minister signed a new agreement with Czech Prime Minister Fiala last week that will see the two countries work more closely on small modular reactors to seize export opportunities and support high-skilled jobs. 

John Flint, National Wealth Fund CEO, said

Nuclear energy is a key component on the path to deliver the Government’s growth and clean energy missions, and our financing for Sizewell C will help provide decades of clean, reliable electricity for millions of homes across the country.  

We have a critical role to play in solving financing problems across a broad waterfront of relevant sectors and Treasury has recognised that today by providing the NWF with additional capital required to enable our lending to Sizewell C. As the government’s flagship investor and policy bank, it is a privilege to be able to play such a significant role in a project of such national importance.

Gavin Tait, Chief Executive Officer, Amber Infrastructure Group, a Boyd Watterson Global Company, investment adviser to International Public Partnerships Limited, said 

We have worked in partnership with the UK Government to adapt the way a construction project of Sizewell C’s scale and importance can be financed to attract the long-term investment of institutional investors and retail savers. INPP has helped finance new infrastructure in the UK since 2006, and Sizewell C is a landmark example of how the public and private sectors can invest together to strengthen national energy security and support future economic growth.

Chris O’Shea, Centrica Group Chief Executive, said

The UK needs more reliable, affordable, zero carbon electricity, and Sizewell C will be critical to supporting the country’s energy system for many decades to come. That’s why I’m delighted to be announcing this milestone investment which will see Centrica commit £1.3 billion for a 15% equity stake in the project, and deepens our long-standing involvement in the UK nuclear industry. This isn’t just an investment in a new power station – it’s an investment in Britain’s energy independence, our net zero journey, and thousands of high-quality jobs across the country. 

Sizewell C is a compelling investment for our shareholders and the country as a whole, and I look forward to working with our world-class partners, EDF, La Caisse, Amber Infrastructure Group and the UK government, to make the project a great success.

Simone Rossi, CEO of EDF in the UK said

EDF welcomes the government’s announcement that it has delivered on its commitment to take a final investment decision on the Sizewell C project.  

Alongside Hinkley Point C, the project will help drive economic growth, strengthen energy security and lower bills over the long term. 

The confirmation of the private investment is very positive and reflects the growing attraction of the role of nuclear power in the energy transition. It could also pave the way for the financing of future large nuclear projects in the UK.

Emmanuel Jaclot, Executive Vice-President and Head of Infrastructure at La Caisse said

Our commitment to invest in Sizewell C reflects La Caisse’s constructive capital approach, working to deliver optimal financial performance for our clients alongside broader economic and societal progress.  

La Caisse has a strong track record of bringing private sector expertise alongside governments and industrial players to invest in complex, regulated infrastructure where value-for-money for consumers is key. Sizewell C is a positive development for UK consumers, as it is expected to provide long-term reliable baseload power and low carbon energy to more than 6 million homes across the UK, while contributing to the creation of 10,000 new jobs at peak construction and thousands more in the nationwide supply chain.  

We’re proud to support the UK Government in delivering this landmark project, advancing the country’s energy security and economic growth ambitions. Our investment demonstrates our confidence in the UK market – our largest destination outside North America – and aligns with our commitment to the energy transition and decarbonization, enabled by our long-term capital and active ownership.

Ofgem CEO Jonathan Brearley said

Ofgem welcomes the government’s decision to move forwards with the Sizewell C project. New nuclear power stations such as this have a key role to play in enhancing Great Britain’s energy security with reliable domestically generated clean power.  

Ofgem has been working closely with the government to develop the new regulatory framework to help drive investment in nuclear energy and deliver the best deal for consumers.

Neil McDermott, Chief Executive of LCCC, said

Sizewell C is a pivotal project in the transition to a clean, secure energy system. It will deliver reliable low carbon power for decades to come, while supporting jobs and investment across the country. 

LCCC is proud to support this milestone through its role as the revenue collection counterparty. Our independent role ensures funds are managed fairly and transparently, protecting value for consumers and enabling long-term investor confidence in low carbon infrastructure.

Notes to editors

• Sizewell C has already signed £330 million in contracts with local companies and will boost supply chains across the UK with 70% of contracts predicted to go to 3,500 British suppliers – supporting new jobs in construction, welding, and hospitality.  

• The government has published a subsidy scheme for the Final Investment Decision in Sizewell C. This scheme covers the government’s equity and debt investment in the project, as well as the value of consumer levies from the RAB delivery model – a Government Support Package to protect investors from high-impact low-probability risks, and other guarantees.  

• The Sizewell C project is consolidated to the government’s balance sheet, meaning that all investment from the government and new investors is on the balance sheet.  

• The total equity and debt finance made available exceeds the target construction cost of around £38 billion (2024 prices), this acts as a safeguard for taxpayers in case of overruns and is standard for a project of this size and complexity.  The project supply chain is strongly incentivised to keep costs down and investors will lose potential revenue if there are overruns, reducing risk for taxpayers. 

• According to our Value for Money assessment SZC could reduce the cost of a low-carbon electricity system by around £2 billion per year on average, once operational.  

• Urenco recently confirmed a 15-year deal with EDF to produce fuel for nuclear power stations. The multi-billion-euro contract, with significant value for the UK, will support Urenco UK’s workforce of more than 1,400 people and support the company’s important contribution to UK economic growth, which represented more than £256 million in 2023.  

• French engineering company Assystem has also set out plans to double its nuclear workforce in the UK, creating 1,000 new engineering, digital and management jobs by 2030 across 10 UK sites, including in Sunderland, Blackburn, Derby, Bristol and London. 

• The government is providing the National Wealth Fund with additional capital to facilitate this lending to Sizewell C, separate to the existing £27.8bn which will continue to be invested across the NWF’s priority sectors. For National Wealth Fund queries, please contact [email protected]