Land deal paves the way for new nuclear in Cumbria
A “major step” for a new nuclear power station in Cumbria has been taken which could lead to a £10bn investment and create 15,000 jobs.
Toshiba and its partner GDF Suez have agreed to pay £200m to extend a land option for a site at Moorside, near Sellafield.
The Government described the deal as a “major step” that “reaffirms the consortium’s commitment to build three reactors”.
It is estimated that the project will create 14, 000 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent roles over the course of the reactors’ lifetimes. They are due to come online from 2024 and will deliver 3.4GW of new nuclear capacity, enough to power up to six million homes.
David Cameron said: “Today we can announce the huge investment being made by Toshiba and Westinghouse – over £200m – 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.”
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority 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.”
