Zoe Stollard, Chair of Nuclear PSG comments on Labour winning the 2024 General Election.

Labour in its manifesto stated that one of its fundamental commitments to the British electorate was to make Britain a clean energy superpower. This aim was supported with five key goals; setting up Great British Energy to cut bills for good; energy independence from dictators like Putin; 650,000 new high-quality jobs; warmer homes to slash fuel poverty; and water companies forced to clean up our rivers.
It was also welcoming that the manifesto had a section focusing on the role that civil nuclear has in helping to make Britain a clean energy superpower.

It spelled out that “Labour will end a decade of dithering that has seen the Conservatives duck decisions on nuclear power. We will ensure the long-term security of the sector, extending the lifetime of existing plants, and we will get Hinkley Point C (HPC) over the line. New nuclear power stations, such as Sizewell C, and Small Modular Reactors, will play an important role in helping the UK achieve energy security and clean power while securing thousands of good, skilled jobs.”

It is now that these words in the manifesto need to become a plan with clear timetables of when new nuclear projects are to start, how they are to be funded and when they will be delivering clean energy. This will breathe confidence into the supply chain which spans the length and breadth of the UK delivering significant economic and social value to communities along with an estimated £6.1bn to the GDP of the UK.

When we start to unpick how the challenge to build new large scale and small-scale nuclear power plants along with decommissioning it is vitality important that skills are not forgotten. Nuclear has historically had a certain image of the type of people most likely to be employed in the sector, in terms of job function, gender and age.

The jobs available in the supply chain are diverse and growing. If you look at the building of HPC opportunities include site support, professional services, earthworks, civils, engineering, commissioning and landscaping to name but a few. Currently over 77,000 people are employed in the UK civil nuclear supply chain which has risen by 13,000 largely due to building HPC. This figure is anticipated to rise significantly with the Nuclear Skills Strategy Group suggesting that to reach up to 24GW, the civil and defence nuclear workforce will need to double over the next 20 years. This would support around 80,000 additional skilled jobs across the UK.

I look forward to hearing in more detail Labour’s plan to create and become a clean energy superpower with nuclear an integral element. Speaking to businesses engaged in the sector the clear message is they want decisions to be made soon so they can develop their business to be able to bid for and fulfil contracts. Any further dithering and delays are likely to risk long term energy security, energy price volatility, growing a skilled workforce, export opportunities and additional GDP contributions.