Fifteen years after it was first proposed, the government is set to confirm a £14.2bn investment in the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will announce the funding at the GMB union conference ahead of Wednesday’s spending review, which will outline departmental budgets up to 2029.
The investment is expected to create 10,000 jobs, including 1,500 apprenticeships, and support thousands more across the UK. Around £330m in contracts have already been signed with local firms, with 70% of all contracts forecast to go to 3,500 British suppliers.
Reeves described the decision as “the biggest nuclear building programme in a generation,” adding: “We are creating thousands of jobs, kickstarting economic growth and putting more money in people’s pockets.”
The funding builds on a £2.7bn commitment announced in last year’s autumn statement. The government now holds an 83.5% stake in Sizewell C after buying out China General Nuclear in 2022.
Construction is expected to take between nine and 12 years and, once complete, the plant will supply power to around six million homes.
The announcement comes as new research from the Nuclear Industry Association revealed that the UK nuclear sector grew by 25% in 2024, with its workforce rising by a third to 87,000—driven largely by Sizewell C and Hinkley Point C in Somerset.
However, the project has faced criticism from environmental campaigners. Stop Sizewell C described it as “HS2 mark 2,” citing concerns over costs, delays, and a lack of transparency about the total bill.
“Ministers have still not come clean about Sizewell C’s cost,” said Alison Downes of the campaign group. “Starmer and Reeves have just signed up to HS2 mark 2.”
Pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade welcomed the move, calling it “a vital step toward delivering secure, domestic clean energy,” but urged the government to go further by cutting red tape and accelerating the planning process.
