Sizewell C nuclear realities with Julia Pyke

The Infrastructure Podcast

In today' podcast we are focusing on the UK’s new nuclear power ambitions and specifically, exploring the Sizewell C project.

As I said a few weeks ago on the podcast, it’s perhaps one of the most significant moments for the UK’s nuclear industry in over a generation.

Last month, the government announced a multi-billion investment to drive forward this ambition with £14.2 billion committed to accelerate construction of the Sizewell C project. Alongside this comes backing for Small Modular Reactors and investment in fusion research - all part of a landmark commitment to clean energy, jobs, and long-term energy security.

So the message is clear: this is the start of what the government calls a "golden age of nuclear." Discuss.

Well Sizewell C certainly sits at the heart of this new ambition - a twin-reactor power station on the Suffolk coast - a carbon copy of the Hinkley Point C reactor now under construction in Somerset – sitting alongside the Sizewell B station which was, of course, intended as the start of the last nuclear golden age 30 years ago.

When operational in the mid 2030s, Sizewell C will power six million homes with low-carbon energy for the next 60 plus years as the UK’s first fully British-owned nuclear project in decades – and apparently a keystone in delivering both net zero energy and national resilience.

But ambition is just the beginning of course. Turning that vision into reality will mean overcoming a long list of challenges — from regulatory hurdles and construction risk, to workforce capacity and public trust.

Joining me today to unpack all of this is Julia Pyke, Managing Director of the Sizewell C project. Lot’s to talk about when it comes to identifying what the government’s investment really means in practice and how Sizewell C fits into the wider nuclear revival.

And of course, what it will take to deliver this project on time, on budget. So let’s crack on…

Resources

• Sizewell C project website
• Government press release on Sizewell C
• Hinkley Point C website
• Great British Energy - Nuclear
• Nuclear Industry Association release on nuclear investment
• The Stewart Review: The HS2 Experience