Nuclear provides jobs boost to Bristol, says EDF Energy

The Bristol, nuclear city jobs map shows the extent of the jobs in dozens of businesses involved in engineering, manufacturing, logistics, training and research. Across the region, 27,000 jobs are now supported by nuclear – three times more than in 2014.

Engineering centres with hundreds of engineers have been developed at Aztec West business park in Bristol. They are due to expand to support Sizewell C in Suffolk, the UK’s next nuclear project after Hinkley Point C in Somerset, EDF Energy noted. Plans to develop the Oldbury and Berkeley sites in Gloucestershire for small modular reactors offer further potential for growth in skilled jobs.

The figures show that more than 300 Bristol-based companies have won contracts at Hinkley Point C, worth more than GBP2 billion (USD2.6 billion). Framatome and construction firm Laing O’Rourke and have opened new factories in Avonmouth, employing 150 people, building modular parts for the Hinkley Point C project, while 650 engineers at the UK EPR Engineering centre based at Aztec West are designing Hinkley Point C and the next large nuclear power station project at Sizewell C.

The University of Bristol supports world-leading nuclear research and training, while training is also supported by the University of the West of England Bristol also benefits from facilities to support nuclear skills and the National College for Nuclear in Somerset, Bridgwater and Taunton College and South Gloucestershire and Stroud College.

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“The South West went first with new nuclear at Hinkley Point C and Bristol is reaping the rewards,” said Andrew Cockcroft, Head of Social Impact at Hinkley Point C. “The project has been a catalyst to attract new businesses and growth to the city, supporting thousands of highly skilled, well-paid jobs and making Bristol a national centre of nuclear expertise.”

Phil Smith, Managing Director of Business West, added: “Bristol, the economic engine of the South West, sits at the centre of the region’s new era of exciting expansion into the production of low-carbon energy. Tackling the UK’s critical challenges of energy prices, energy resilience, and achieving net-zero, the region’s burgeoning developments in offshore wind, EV batteries, and in particular new nuclear projects, will be dependent on Bristol’s powerhouse of academia, engineering, and professional services.

“Business West is supporting the much-needed supply chain that new nuclear will rely on, including the critical component of an available and skilled workforce.”