Renewables & Energy · Nuclear
Sizewell C is a new nuclear power-station project on the Suffolk coast, backed by government and private investors.[1]
Construction is underway on a Technical Operators training area at East Coast College’s Lound Civil Campus, supported by £2.1m through Sizewell C’s skills fund. The phased campus aims to equip up to 3,000 learners for major engineering and construction projects.
The Suffolk project plans two reactors based on the Hinkley Point C design. Its development consent order took effect in January 2024, and construction includes rail logistics, marine works and supporting facilities in addition to the power station itself. Moving bulk material by rail and sea is part of the developer’s strategy to reduce heavy road traffic around the site.
Sizewell C’s Civil Works Alliance awarded Amentum a £22.3m contract for a three-year design programme followed by seven years of design support for three 3.5km offshore cooling-water tunnels and associated marine works. The scope includes shafts, onshore galleries and a fish-return system. This is a design and support award; it does not mean tunnelling has started.
The first commercial materials train reached Sizewell C over the new 2.8 km Green Rail Route. The developer says each train replaces the equivalent of around 50 HGV journeys; services will scale up in phases.
The ten-year agreement, with a two-year extension option, covers maintenance, cleaning and other site services. Mobilisation is under way, with services due to begin later in 2026 and employment expected to rise from about 150 to as many as 400 roles.
Planning permission has been secured for an Avonmouth facility that will manufacture precast concrete segments and heads for Sizewell C's marine tunnels. The developer says the factory will support up to 400 jobs and send components to Suffolk by rail and sea.
Construction is underway on a Technical Operators training area at East Coast College’s Lound Civil Campus, supported by £2.1m through Sizewell C’s skills fund. The phased campus aims to equip up to 3,000 learners for major engineering and construction projects.