Hinkley Point C contractors join alliance for civil works on Sizewell C nuclear plant

Balfour Beatty, Laing O’Rourke and Bouygues Travaux Publics together form the Civil Works Alliance (CWA), a single delivery organisation that will be responsible for:

• Enabling works and earthworks
• Marine and tunnelling works
• Main civils works (nuclear island, conventional island, heat sink and balance of plant)
• Ancillary works and permanent roads and networks.

All three companies joining Sizewell C are already working on Hinkley Point C, whose design is closely aligned to that of the new plant.

Preliminary construction work at Sizewell C, for client EDF Energy, started in January 2024. Sizewell C said that the project has so far proceeded on time and on budget.

Reports in January this year suggested that the cost of the plant, originally expected to cost £20 billion (€23.4 billion) could double to £40 billion (€46.8 billion), although EDF said the larger figure was “not accurate” in response. It declined to put its own figure on the project. Earlier this month, the UK government confirmed a £14.2 billion (€16.6 billion) investment in the project over the next five years.

Sizewell C said that the CWA will operate a Target Outturn Cost (TOC) contract model in a bid to keep control of schedule and costs. Embedded in the alliance as a “client participant”, it will also “help to foster transparency, collaboration and efficiency”.

Nigel Cann, joint managing director, Sizewell C, said, “This agreement ensures that our civils programme will be delivered by three companies with deep experience of building to the highest nuclear standards.

“Hinkley Point C has done the heroic work to restart our industry and is seeing big improvements between the construction of reactor Unit 1 and Unit 2. With our CWA partners, we will use replication and innovation to build on that progress and deliver Sizewell C more efficiently and with improved productivity.

“We are also clear that the project should help bring lasting change for the better to Suffolk. All the Alliance members will actively look to provide as many opportunities as possible for local people and businesses.”

Leo Quinn, group chief executive, Balfour Beatty, said: “Sizewell C represents a critical investment in Britain’s energy security and net zero future. As a trusted delivery partner with a strong track record in complex nuclear infrastructure, we are proud to be bringing background knowledge and experience from Hinkley Point C to this critical national infrastructure project alongside our Alliance partners.

“The signing of the Programme Alliance Agreement further demonstrates the important role we continue to play in powering the UK’s transition to a low-carbon economy.”

Cathal O’Rourke, group chief executive, Laing O’Rourke, said, “The experience we have gained at Hinkley will power our delivery of Sizewell C. Working with our partners, we will deliver the project securely with a laser focus on safety, quality and productivity.”