LAING O’ROURKE has welcomed the British Government’s decision this week to go-ahead with plans to build the Sizewell C nuclear power plant.
The Irish-founded firm is one of three construction companies signed up to deliver the project in Suffolk, which is being jointly funded by Canadian pension fund La Caisse, UK energy firm Centrica and Amber Infrastructure.
On July 22, Britain’s Energy Secretary Ed Miliband signed off on the project, which will deliver clean power for the equivalent of six million homes, as well as support 10,000 jobs and create 1,500 apprenticeships once it is operational, which is expected to be in the 2030s.
“It is time to do big things and build big projects in this country again- and today we announce an investment that will provide clean, homegrown power to millions of homes for generations to come,” he said.
Plans for the Sizewell C nuclear power plant have been given the green light by the British Government this week“This government is making the investment needed to deliver a new golden age of nuclear, so we can end delays and free us from the ravages of the global fossil fuel markets to bring bills down for good,” he added.
Last month the British Government confirmed it will invest £14.2bn in the project and Laing O’Rourke signed a Programme Alliance Agreement to form a Civil Works Alliance (CWA) with Sizewell C, Balfour Beatty and Bouygues Travaux Publics.
All members of the CWA are already working on the near-replica Hinkley Point C project in Somerset.
Their work on Sizewell C will include enabling works and earthworks, marine and tunnelling works, main civils works, ancillary works, permanent roads and networks.
“Learnings and verified proof-of-concept practices from the construction of Hinkley Point C will be applied by the CWA to the construction of Sizewell C,” a Laing O’Rourke spokesperson said.
The firm’s Group Chief Executive, Cathal O’Rourke said they are already planning for Sizewell C.
"Laing O’Rourke is already working with our alliance partners to plan for this complex project,” he said in a statement this week.
“We welcome the certainty that this decision brings for the project and are proud to play our part in delivering the next chapter of Britain’s clean energy future.”
He added: “We’ve learned a lot from the work we’ve done on Hinkley Point C and that experience will power how we deliver this complex project and we are excited to keep working with our partners on this critical project."
