Plans to open a new major nuclear plant have been given a major funding boost after Rachel Reeves announced £14.2 billion worth of investment for Sizewell C.
Located on the Sussex coastline, the power station is set to cost about £20bn but is expected to generate electricity for six million homes.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband said new nuclear power capacity was needed to deliver a “golden age of clean energy abundance”.
Despite this, there is strong opposition to the plans from environmentalists and those that believe the plans are too expensive, and investment would be better off elsewhere.
So what do we know about the Sizewell C nuclear plant?
What is Sizewell C and where is it?
Plans have been underway for years for a new two-reactor nuclear power station to be built on the east Sussex coastline with hopes that it could generate 3.2 gigawatts of electricity.
French energy company EDF have claimed that the plant will power the equivalent of six million homes, and is planned to be operational in the 2030s.
This means is could potentially generate electricity for 60 years.
At the peak of construction, Sizewell C is expected to provide 10,000 jobs and the company behind the project has already signed £330 million worth of contracts with local businesses.
Located close to the town of Leiston, it will sit next to Sizewell B that has been operating since 1995, and the decommissioned Sizewell A site.
How much is the plant likely to cost?
Sizewell C is expected to cost about £20bn.
However, reports in January circulated that the costs were likely to double, with people close to talks over the energy scheme estimating the rise to £40bn.
The government said it did not recognise the figure, while Sizewell C’s managing directors said it is “not accurate”.
EDF previously rejected the figure, but did accept its nuclear plant being built at Hinkley Point, in Somerset, would cost more than that figure.
The government confirmed a total of £3.6bn worth of investment had been put into the project so far.
What is nuclear energy?
Nuclear energy from inside atoms can be used to generate huge amounts of electricity.
To generate nuclear power, uranium rods are used as fuel in a power station with a tiny particle called a neutron is fired towards them. This splits one of the uranium atoms apart.
This causes the atoms to break down in process called nuclear fission, which releases huge amounts of energy as heat.
The heat is used to boil water, producing steam, which drives turbines and generates electricity.
When was it proposed?
The need for the UK to increase its nuclear power capacity has been a discussion in government since 2008, with the coalition government between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats identifying Sizewell as a suitable site in 2010.
Nuclear plants are seen as increasingly important electricity sources as the government tries to decarbonise Britain’s grid by 2030, replacing fossil fuels with green power.
Three other public consultations were held with 10,000 Sussex residents, with the final one finishing in September 2019.
Planning permission was granted to EDF by the government in July 2022, with the site also receiving its nuclear licence granted in May 2024.
Will Sizewell C improve our energy prices?
In announcing the plans, Ed Miliband argued it would boost Britain’s energy security by reducing reliance on buying power from overseas.
The project will be funded via household electricity bills, adding about £1 a month to the cost of power over the plant’s 60-year lifespan. But it is hoped that the overall impact of the plant will be lower bills as a result of a cheaper energy supply.
The investment comes amid concerns that the dash towards clean power could reduce our energy security and leave Britain vulnerable.
Why are the plans controversial?
There has been strong opposition against Sizewell C since it was announced by environmentalists who have argued the plans are “too slow”, and that it will impact the natural wildlife of the area.
Campaign groups Stop Sizewell C and Together Against Sizewell C both fear the plant could have negative effects and have demonstrated against the plans on several occasions.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds have similarly protested against the impact on the local wildlife on the Sussex coast.
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.
“There still appears to be no final investment decision for Sizewell C, but £14.2 billion in taxpayers’ funding, a decision we condemn and firmly believe the government will come to regret.
“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?
