Sizewell C has awarded almost £1bn worth of contracts to businesses across the East of England, as the project celebrates two years since formal construction began on the Suffolk coast.

The 3.2GW nuclear power station – set to deliver 70% of its construction value to UK companies and support tens of thousands of jobs nationwide – is committed to investing £4.4bn in the East of England over the course of its build.

This contract milestone caps a hugely successful second year for Sizewell C, highlighted by its Final Investment Decision last summer, which unlocked £38bn of funding and made it the first majority British-owned nuclear power station in more than 30 years.

Key achievements over the past year include:

• Expanded its workforce to almost 2,000 people, including at least 100 apprentices
• Began works on major offsite infrastructure projects such as roundabouts at Friday Street and Yoxford, significantly improving two notorious junctions on the A12.
• Submitted a planning application for College on the Coast, a new post-16 education facility on the outskirts of Leiston
• Announced the funding of East Suffolk Trust (EaST), a new £78m grant-giving charity dedicated to enhancing biodiversity and restoring landscapes in East Suffolk and the wider county
• Celebrated the first anniversary of the Sizewell C Community Fund, which has so far distributed £3m to local organisations.

Other initiatives working with local partners include funding the Pedal to Zero bike hire scheme through Net Zero Leiston, supporting new energy advice hubs in Leiston, Lowestoft, and Ipswich delivered by Citizens Advice, and backing Beyond Boundaries, a pioneering programme delivered by the Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality (ISCRE) designed to transform opportunities for young people from underrepresented communities across Suffolk. 

In total, Sizewell C now has six social partners, including ISCRE, Inspire, Access Community Trust, Community Action Suffolk, Project 21, Outreach Youth, and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Over the past year significant progress has been made at Sizewell C’s Main Construction Area (MCA). This includes installing sheet piles for the Temporary Sea Defence and building a new bridge linking the MCA to the Temporary Construction Area. This vital crossing significantly reduces the number of trucks traveling through East Suffolk.

Sizewell C has created three nature reserves around the construction site, which are three times the size of what Sizewell C’s permanent footprint will be.

In 2026 the project is expected to begin construction on College on the Coast, subject to planning consent. This facility, located opposite the Ancillary Construction Area on King George’s Avenue, will transform local education and training by creating pathways into engineering, construction, and energy careers, while also offering a broad curriculum for adult learners.

The campus will support many of the 540 apprenticeships pledged for Suffolk, ensuring young people can build rewarding careers without leaving the county. 

Two new roundabouts at Yoxford and Friday Street are also set for completion this year, improving two notorious junctions on the A12. With vegetation clearance almost complete across all sites, Sizewell C will begin landscaping and planting thousands of trees over the coming winters at its offsite infrastructure projects. 

Other milestones include the arrival of the first trains to site, which will reduce traffic through East Suffolk; the launch of a new public visitor centre delivered in partnership with Sizewell B; and the first round of environmental grants funded through EaST. 

Nigel Cann, CEO of Sizewell C, said: “Only two years after triggering our Development Consent Order and beginning formal construction, I’m delighted to see Sizewell C is already delivering on its promise to be a once-in-a-generation opportunity for this region.

“We’ve awarded nearly a billion pounds in contracts to East of England businesses, we’ve delivered thousands of new jobs, including apprenticeships and other training opportunities, we’ve distributed nearly £3m in funding to local organisations through our Sizewell C Community Fund alone, and we’re working with partners across the region to ensure that opportunities and benefits are open to as many people as possible. 

“This is just the start of the lifechanging opportunities that we’ll bring to this area during construction and subsequent operation of this power station, when there will be 900 well-paid, high-quality jobs available here. 

“We know this period of construction will also be disruptive in this area. We’re working with the councils, other developers and numerous other local organisations to ensure we do everything we can to minimise those impacts. Many of the projects that cause disruption now will, once they are complete, help minimise impacts during the construction, whether it’s building new roads, park and rides, or new rail and coastal infrastructure, all of which will help ease the pressure of our project on the existing local infrastructure.”