Positive impact of nuclear power stations in the UK
A new independent economic impact report shows nuclear energy provides more than power, highlighting the substantial contributions that nuclear power stations have made to the UK’s economy.
£123 billion contribution to UK economic growth
The current nuclear fleet has helped to power the UK since 1976, reliably providing home-grown, zero carbon electricity for millions of UK homes. At the same time, these nuclear power stations have made a £123 billion contribution to UK economic growth.
31,000 jobs a year supported, with five additional jobs for every EDF direct role
Throughout my apprenticeship, EDF provided me with valuable engineering knowledge and real-life experience. This resulted in a highly-skilled and fulfilling job within a growing industry, that also has many opportunities for future growth.
I’ve worked at EDF for four and a half years, with the majority of this time spent completing my engineering degree apprenticeship. I have since transitioned into an Operations Nuclear Logistics (ONL) Engineer role at Sizewell B, thanks to the skills I have acquired during my time here.
Jessica Willett
Day Operations Fuel Route Engineer
My father worked here and my grandfather was also involved in construction. It runs in the family and I've always remained proud to work at a nuclear power station. I feel privileged to be involved in nuclear power within the UK.
I left school and started an apprenticeship scheme back in 1997. The company's given me numerous opportunities over the years.
Greig Elliot
Fuel Route Manager
Over 90% of supply chain spend in the UK
NC Lancaster is a family owned and managed company, founded in 1950. NC Lancaster began producing Foreign Materials Exclusion (FME) products for EDF more than twenty years ago, after being recommended by a mutual contact who worked at one of the Heysham power stations.
Since then, NC Lancaster has continued to produce bespoke FME equipment for the two Heysham sites as well as the wider fleet of EDF’s nuclear power stations.
As a result of this partnership, NC Lancaster has been able to develop its range of FME products and customers as well as their skills, establishing NC Lancaster as a leading supplier of FME products in the UK.
The Toll House Inn is a hotel, bar and restaurant situated in the centre of Lancaster, which is the closest city to the Heysham power stations.
The Toll House Inn regularly has guests from EDF staying and eating at the establishment and has done so for many years.
Each year, EDF is its single largest customer for rooms.
The General Manager notes that especially during station outages, there is a noticeable boost to local businesses due to the hundreds of transient workers from across the country spending time in the city. This also means that EDF guests can stay at the Toll House Inn for a number of weeks or months, which is a great benefit to the Toll House Inn and the area.
1.1 billion tonnes of carbon avoided so far
Controlled Repair Instruments Ltd (CRI), based in Norfolk is an independent repair centre and supplier of control valves, relief valves and associated equipment for the oil, gas and energy sector.
CRI has been working in partnership with EDF, initially at Sizewell B, for 14 years.
CRI is a family run business, which currently has 14 employees. CRI’s relationship with EDF has allowed the business to grow over time, which led to the need to employ more staff and invest in further training for them.
The partnership has also enabled them to increase their reach, working with other EDF power stations across the fleet.
Seabed Scour Control Systems Ltd. (SSCS) Lifting manufactures and supplies all types of lifting equipment, while offering comprehensive testing and Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) services.
SSCS Lifting has been working with EDF for over 16 years, having built a strong and trusted partnership as a long-term supplier. SSCS Lifting’s work with EDF accounts for around 10% of their annual turnover.
SSCS Lifting’s work with EDF has been instrumental in driving their annual growth as a company and has enabled them to make significant investments in staff, ensuring that they are always delivering a high-quality service.
About the report
The report was commissioned by EDF with evaluation carried out independently by Economic Insight and externally validated by Prof Anthony Glass (Professor of Managerial Economics) at the University of Sheffield.
The report uses a recognised methodology to establish the Gross Value Added for the fleet since 1976 using revenue, staff numbers, supply chain data and output (for carbon avoided). It does not take into account the wider societal value of electricity, including energy security; the value of the inertia provided by nuclear to grid stability; tax receipts to the UK government and the historic value of the carbon avoided by generating power from nuclear versus fossil fuels. These areas were not in scope for this piece of work, and are harder to estimate, but if included would add considerably to the total value provided by the nuclear fleet.
The current UK nuclear fleet consists of: Defueling stations: Hunterston B – North Ayrshire (1976), Hinkley Point B – Somerset (1976), Dungeness B - Kent (1983). Generating stations: Heysham 1 – Lancashire (1983), Hartlepool – Teesside (1983), Heysham 2 – Lancashire (1988), Torness – East Lothian (1988), Sizewell B – Suffolk (1995).
Find out more about EDF
Investing in nuclear power to help Britain achieve Net Zero
Our nuclear fleet has generated enough zero-carbon electricity to power every home in the UK for 18 years, and we're leading the UK's nuclear renaissance with the construction of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C.
We're Britain's biggest generator of zero carbon electricity(1)
Find a career that will deliver change
From our engineers to our customer service advisors, our scientists to our apprentices, every single one of us is committed to reducing the UK’s carbon emissions to zero.