Consortia compete for Somerset nuclear civil engineering jobs

02/02/2012 16:00:00

Three consortia are reportedly competing for a contract relating to the delivery of a new nuclear power plant in Somerset, which will offer a major fillip to civil engineering recruitment.

It is anticipated that the £1.2 billion of civil engineering works for EDF's Hinkley Point C plant will commence in 2013 and take three years to complete, during which time they will generate at least 1,500 new jobs in construction.

According to the Construction Enquirer, the contract will either go to Balfour Beatty and VINCI, Laing O'Rourke and Bouygues, ot Costain, Sir Robert McAlpine and Hochtief, with Laing O'Rourke's consortium tipped to win this project.

A source close to the negotiations told the website: "The others just can't compete in terms of a directly employed site workforce and that could be a crucial factor."

Back in December, a report commissioned by CITB-ConstructionSkills forecast that around 17,000 people would be employed in building the UK's next generation of nuclear power plants, although it warned that many would need to be upskilled or re-skilled for these jobs.

Power jobs in the South West

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