- Britain’s biggest net zero project, Hinkley Point C, has delivered £5.3 billion in investment to the South West
- 1,300 apprentices trained so far, and 30,000 more training places available at Hinkley
- Sizewell C, a replica of Hinkley Point C, will bring similar economic boost to East of England
New figures released today show the hugely positive impact Hinkley Point C is having on the people and businesses in the South West and beyond, highlighting the importance of delivering Sizewell C so that these once in a generation benefits can be felt in a different part of the country.
Hinkley Point C’s latest socio-economic report shows the various ways in which nuclear projects can benefit local communities up and down the country, with 8,000 people trained in its Centres of Excellence to date, with over 30,000 training places offered over the lifetimes of the centres.
Nuclear projects like Hinkley have a hugely positive impact on the next generation of net zero workers with 1,320 apprentices trained so far on the project, with opportunities for young people to stay, work and build lives in the region, particularly in areas that need it most where there is low social mobility.
To date £5.3 billion has been spent directly with businesses across the region with a growth in the number of small and medium sized companies in some of the more deprived areas around the station showing how nuclear projects are transforming regional economies.
In welcoming the latest report, Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said,
“Sizewell C is in line to deliver these once in a lifetime benefits we’re seeing in the South West with Hinkley Point C sustaining thousands of well-paid green jobs, generating billions of pounds of investment and creating the next generation of skilled workers. We now need the Government to get Sizewell C to a Final Investment Decision, so we can unlock these same benefits for the East of England and continue the revival of Britain’s industrial workforce.
“These stations are the most significant green energy projects in a generation, and we should use them as the springboard for a full programme of new nuclear plants, large and small, to create life changing opportunities for people and businesses up and down the country.”
