Our social contribution
We are making a strong socio-economic contribution, supporting customers, local economies and communities, and the STEM skills of tomorrow’s energy innovators.
We aim to deliver the best workforce at the right time in the right way.
Our goals
We believe all harm is preventable and so we strive for Zero Harm.
More than 50% of senior leaders will have diverse characteristics (gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and disability) by 2030.
We recruited 357 early career employees within Sizewell C, Hinkley Point C and Nuclear Operations.
We have trained more than 2000 apprentices since 2012.
We have committed £300 million in education, skills and employment since 2012.
Health, safety and wellbeing
We believe all harm is preventable and so we strive for Zero Harm.
This ambition means making sure our workplaces are safe and healthy for everyone: our employees and anyone working on our behalf. We launched the ambition in 2007, recognising that safety needs to be a ‘non-negotiable, enduring priority’ and that everyone deserves to go home from work unharmed.
We take a rigorous approach to risk assessing our arrangements against the EDF Group BEST Framework (Building Excellence in Safety Together) to ensure we align with best practices and we learn from our peers. Maintaining a strong safety track record of our fleet, and instilling public confidence in nuclear is also a key way to help solve the climate crisis.
Tragically, a supervisor at our Hinkley Point C site died in November 2022. An independent team investigated the incident to identify lessons and we continue to focus on behavioural safety training, embedding our life-saving rules and maintaining a rigorous approach to risk management against the EDF Group BEST Framework.
Find Health and Safety data in our datasheet.
Diversity, inclusion and equity
We aim to provide a great place to work, by enhancing equity, diversity and inclusion for our colleagues and supply chain.
In 2021, we started monitoring the diversity of our leadership in terms of Gender, Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation and Disability. We set several targets, including 50% of our senior leaders to have one or more of these diverse characteristics by 2030. Find our diversity metrics in our datasheet.
Sizewell C is working in Suffolk and Norfolk with Women into Construction, an independent not-for-profit organisation that promotes gender equality in construction. They have worked to support 59 local women through a bespoke programme designed to raise awareness of the construction sector, give them the skills and confidence to apply for roles and open up employment opportunities with local companies.
Just Transition
We apply the principles of a Just Transition, which aims to reach Net Zero in the fairest way possible for everyone by providing decent work, supporting education and employability, retaining skills and developing new ones to support the energy transition.
We support EDF Group’s Just Transition commitments, which are about placing place people at the centre stage and focusing on the wellbeing of all stakeholders.
Coal plant closure
Following the closure of our last coal plant West Burton A in March 2023, we are supporting the future redeployment of our people and to ensure that everyone leaves in the best physical and mental health possible, ready for embarking on their future lives and careers. We have been engaging with our people to understand everyone's individual aspirations and mobility preference. Understanding this has been critical in developing the overall people resourcing and transition plans.
- We introduced summer placement opportunities within our nuclear business for our people to see first-hand what it is like to work in our nuclear sites and gain operational experience.
- More than 15% of our people have secured roles internally, including at Hartlepool, Heysham, Sizewell, Hinkley B and C, and Renewables, directly contributing to the development of a low carbon economy.
- We work closely within wider industry with external companies to help secure future opportunities and retain essential skills, for example at Drax and Ratcliffe.
- We have a People Hub on site, which is a space where people can go when they need focused time to prepare for their future. It has a lot of information on other parts of the business to help them develop knowledge and interests in opportunities within our company.
- We support the wellbeing of our people, notably through a bespoke Redeployment and Wellbeing Programme providing access to a wide range of support activities, such as workshops on stress awareness, financial awareness, self-employment, job search, CV and cover letter, interview preparation, career transition and retirement preparation. A member of MIND mental health charity also floor walks site on a regular basis to talk to the teams and organise one-to-ones.
Hinkley Point B and Hunterston B
Hinkley Point B and Hunterston B power stations ended generation in 2022 as the UK’s most productive green energy assets, after 46 years operation.
Defueling and decommissioning provide opportunities for people across our business to be part of the next chapter of the station’s lifecycle.
Lyle McDermid, Hunterston B Planning Engineer: “I started working for EDF in 2020 within the Outage department as a Lead Planning Engineer after six years in the group as a contractor planning engineer. Last year, as we approached end of generation, I joined the Defueling Preparations team as a planner to develop, monitor and maintain detailed defueling preparation and station execution plans. In November 2022, I applied for a post as a Planning Engineer within the station’s Project Controls department and was pleased to be accepted for the role. After a short time, I am already fully involved in various waste management and care & maintenance projects.”
Hartlepool power station welcomed Crucial Crew
Hartlepool power station welcomed Crucial Crew. This 2-week annual event help in June, for all Year 6 Hartlepool primary schools, welcomes 1,300 children every year. 2023 marked the 25th year Crucial Crew. The event highlights personal safety and accident prevention issues and uses practical workshops to deliver this awareness in scenarios including deliberate fires, substance misuse, road safety, cyber-crimes, water safety and electrical safety. The children take on board many important safety messages through a variety of learning style.
National College for Nuclear
We are one of the founding industry partners of the National College for Nuclear (NCFN), which provides practical learning designed to fulfil the nuclear sector’s needs. The NCFN recently expanded its strategy to work with renewable and low-carbon sectors to identify and develop skills and support the workforce. We are providing knowledge and manpower to facilitate the implementation of this new strategy.
Plant extension
The extension of the lifetime of Heysham 1 and Hartlepool by 2 extra years is also great news for the 2,000 skilled people whose jobs are supported by these sites and will help preserve valuable technical and operational skills that will be critical as the UK seeks to re-build its nuclear capability.
Destination Renewables
We are preparing new generations to work in the low carbon sector and launched Destination Renewables, a new pioneering programme preparing students for the future renewables’ jobs market at Pembrokeshire College with 40 students signed up.
Find out more on Destination Renewables.
Construction
We help local people join our projects and will offer 30,000 new training places at Hinkley Point C between now and the station’s completion. Trainees will be able to upgrade their skills and earning potential by joining the work to fit miles of pipes, cables, equipment, and control systems. The opportunities have been made possible by Hinkley Point C’s £24 million investment into education, skills, and employment, including at three new Centres for Excellence in welding, electrical and mechanical skills.
- Over 1,100 apprentices were trained on the project to date.
- Over 500 welders have been trained at the Welding Centre of Excellence.
Sizewell C is increasing the number of apprentices it is aiming to employ from 1,000 to 1,500 apprentices. There will be apprenticeships for various construction roles, including degree-level engineering, digital engineering, welding, project management, and steel-fixing, and for many site support services, including operations management, logistics, environment, health and safety, security, and accountancy.
Heat pumps
We are set to train 4,000 heat pump installers a year to help the UK hit its target of 600,000 heat pumps by 2028. We have partnered with CB Heating and Daikin to create a new training academy to drive the upskilling of heat pump installers. Once trained, these engineers will continue to receive support from Daikin, EDF and CB Heating in safely and efficiently installing the technology nationwide.
Find out more about the Heat Pump Training Academy.
Community support
We are making a strong socio-economic contribution to local communities and economies across the UK. We notably support them through various funds to invest in local initiatives surrounding sites.
We have increased our supply chain spend with SMEs with around £1.3 billion with over 2,500 SMEs in 2022, which covers 22% of our spending to suppliers and 68% of our total supplier’s base.
Hinkley Point C
Hinkley Point C is vital in the fight against climate change and ensuring energy security but it also proves that the transition to Net Zero can also deliver huge social and economic benefits, changing lives and communities for the better.
Key highlights:
- 19,250 jobs created directly on-site so far.
- £139 million of community investment into local infrastructure and community support.
- £5.3 billion spent with local companies.
- £14.5 million provided to local projects through the Community Fund.
- £24 million invested directly into Education, Skills and Employment.
- 11,000 young people benefitted from Hinkley Point C’s education programmes.
Find out more about the socio-economic benefits at Hinkley Point C.
Sizewell C
Sizewell C has several plans to support local communities, including a funding package to support the environment, training and community groups.
Key highlights:
- £250 million package of local funding
- 2.6k construction jobs in Suffolk
- 70k jobs supported in the UK
- £4 billion into the East of England economy
Wind farms
To support communities near our wind farms, each of our sites has a dedicated community fund to spend on improvements in the local area during its development and operation.
For example, at Beck Burn wind farm, £155,250 are invested in the community fund each year. Investments include a project to clean up the local riverbanks, new facilities for the village halls, and a three-year barnacle geese tagging programme with the local Wildlife and Wetland Trust.
Partnership with Prostate Cancer UK
In 2020, we entered into a four-year partnership with Prostate Cancer UK (PCUK) focusing on fundraising and helping to support men and their families across the UK now, and for future generations.
We set ourselves the ambitious goal of raising £100,000 per year of the partnership, with a total of £400,000 over the four years. The money raised will help fund research, healthcare improvements, quality support services and engagement for changes in policymaking.
The partnership is also a chance for all employees to learn about the risks of prostate cancer, to collaborate and share knowledge to support the delivery of the charity’s strategy and to engage in fun activities to raise money.
To celebrate the end of our partnership, we have a team of 15 employees going to the Pyrenees to trek the Freedom Trail and aim to raise over £29,000.
Discover more
Find out how we're helping Britain achieve Net Zero
