Japanese energy and engineering company Hitachi is to build a nuclear power plant at Oldbury-on-Severn, South Gloucestershire, after taking over the stalled Horizon project.
The new-generation power station, which will replace the existing nuclear plant on the site, will be one of between two or three built by 2025 and which will supply millions of homes. It is not known how many jobs will be created by the construction and operation of the plant at Oldbury but the economic impact could be significant for the area.
One report this morning suggested up to 6,000 jobs are expected to be directly supported during construction at each site, with a further 1,000 permanent jobs at each site once operational.
UK industrial giants Rolls Royce and Babcock International have signed Memoranda of Understanding with Hitachi, which also today confirmed it intends to establish a module assembly facility in the UK.
Horizon was set up as a joint venture by German utility giants E.ON and RWE in 2009 to build four to six power plants but both firms pulled out in March this year citing difficulties in securing Government funding to build them. The cost of building and operating the plants is forecast to be around £15bn.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) said: “Hitachi this morning confirmed that it intends to progress with Horizon Nuclear Power’s plans to build between two and three new nuclear plants at Wylfa on Anglesey and the same at Oldbury in Gloucestershire.”
The existing Oldbury power station (pictured). which started generating nuclear power in 1967 and is now operated by Magnox, ceased generation earlier this year and is now being de-comissioned.
