The proposed nuclear power station at Sizewell C will be built soon, says the project’s Head of Development.

Speaking in the run-up to the East of England Development Conference (to be held on February 6),  Tom McGarry, Head of Regional External Affairs & Development at Sizewell C says all the signs indicate that the multi-billion pound project will go ahead soon.

“I’m really looking forward to being at the Conference to tell everyone all about the project – it achieved planning and government investment last year and with our commitment to the local environment and communities legally binding, I believe this project is going to move toward a final investment decision and it will be built in the very near future”.

UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt last week said that Sizewell C is central to the massive potential for the country’s economy in the green and clean energy sector.

“McKinsey estimate that the global market opportunity for UK green industries could be worth more than £1 trillion between now and 2030 and we are proceeding with the new plant at Sizewell C” said Hunt

McGarry is one of several headline speakers at the hotly anticipated conference and intends to network with local contractors and suppliers after providing deeper insight into Sizewell C’s impact on the East of England.

He is adamant that the scheme will have enormous benefits for local people – and not just in terms of a long-lasting supply of energy.

“We very much want East of England businesses to be involved in the building of it. It is absolutely vital  to our infrastructure” said McGarry, “and also, and this may be a surprise, independent polling has indicated that the majority of East Sussex residents are wholly in support of the building of Sizewell C and of new nuclear being part of our electricity generating mix”.

The nuclear energy topic is a historically controversial one, but Mr McGarry believes that the construction of Sizewell C is vitally important to the region and the country.

“We need it – we need it for our energy security as a nation – we need it in order to tackle climate change – and we need it to plug the energy gap left by the closure of numerous coal, gas and nuclear stations over the next 10 years…it’s really important that we get on the front foot and that the energy revolution leading to net zero is led from the East of England”.

“I’m excited to be speaking at the conference to meet people in the supply chain and potential partners…there’s so many benefits for the East of England.”