EDF Energy has announced the launch date for the third stage of the public consultation for a new nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast, Sizewell C.
It will begin on January 4 next year and will run for 12 weeks, ending on March 29.
The plans presented will include the associated development needed to enable construction, such as park and ride sites and various options for road and rail improvements.
Exhibitions will also be held in schools and colleges to talk about the positive impact the project will have on skills in the region.
Jim Crawford, Sizewell C project development director, said: “Sizewell C will bring significant benefit to the East of England – jobs, education and skills development, as well as opportunities for local businesses. Our sister project in Somerset, Hinkley Point C, is already delivering, with Government figures showing South West companies winning contracts worth more than £1.3 billion.
“By working innovatively with local Somerset firms to ensure they can bid for big contracts, we have already spent £650m in the region. We want to deliver the same benefits for the East of England.
“Your views are important to us as we take proposals for Sizewell C forward. Please engage with the project team and come along to your local exhibition.
“Find out more about the project and the proposals which have been informed by technical and environmental assessments, socioeconomic studies and the feedback received from our two previous stages of consultation.”
If Sizewell C does get the green light, it will provide six million homes with electricity and could generate around 25,000 job opportunities during construction.
EDF intends to submit a planning application for Sizewell C in 2020, as part of a timetable for construction to begin in 2021.
The French company is currently still engaging in conversations with investors about funding the project. About 15 companies have expressed interest in investing, including Dalmore Capital Limited and the Pensions Infrastructure Platform, which in June took stakes in 24 UK wind farms owned by EDF Renewables.
See our interview with EDF’s nuclear development director Julia Pyke.
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