The Voice of NOF
Posted on 14 May 2026
The Nuclear Renaissance: How North East England is Powering the UK’s Clean Energy Future
In the nuclear sector, NOF is working across the value chain from owners and operators to the existing supply chain, helping members and partners to develop and diversify into this fast-evolving industry.
With nuclear energy providing a reliable, low carbon baseload for the UK’s energy mix, it will play a key role in our transition to Net Zero.
Ahead of the Nuclear North East England Conference & Exhibition on May 21, Joanne Leng MBE, Chief Executive of NOF, looks at why there is so much energy behind the nuclear sector – and how North East England can benefit.
Exploring the national nuclear landscape
The UK Government’s aim is to grow the nation’s nuclear capacity to 24GW by 2050, an ambition which would see nuclear power generate up to 25% of the UK’s electricity.
It’s creating a generational shift in the nuclear sector – and a palpable sense of momentum.
The Government’s launch of Great British Nuclear (now Great British Energy – Nuclear) in 2023, is a key part of the picture. It’s dedicated to the development and deployment of new nuclear technologies in the UK, including small modular reactors (SMRs), advanced modular reactors (AMRs) and micro modular reactors (MMRs).
And in one of the most significant developments, Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE – N) announced in November that Wylfa on Anglesey had been selected as the site of the UK’s first SMR nuclear power station. It will initially host three Rolls-Royce SMRs, with the potential to accommodate up to eight units, and is being backed by £2.5 billion of Government funding. The economic impact is expected to be substantial, with an initial investment of £2.5 billion in North West Wales and a predicted 3000 jobs in the local community.
Another boost for the sector arrived in February, with the publishing of the Government’s Advanced Nuclear Framework. This is designed to stimulate private investment in innovative nuclear technologies (such as SMRs, AMRs and MMRs) across the country, providing a clear route to market and support for projects to get them off the ground.
At a much larger scale, the construction of Hinkley Point C in Somerset – the first in a new generation of nuclear power stations – and Sizewell C in Suffolk continues.
Two UK EPR nuclear reactors are being built by EDF at Hinkley Point C, with most of Unit 1’s fit-out now complete, and preparations underway to install the second reactor at Unit 2. When operational, those reactors are expected to power 6 million homes when operational.
And Hinkley Point C’s design is being replicated at the £38 billion Sizewell C, where construction began more than two years ago. The 3.2 GW nuclear power station is set to deliver 70% of its construction value to UK companies, directly supporting 10,000 jobs with up to 60,000 more in the supply chain. By January this year, around £3 billion had been delivered in contracts to over 400 British suppliers.
Nuclear is a key target sector in the National Wealth Fund’s (NWF’s) Five-Year Strategic Plan to 30/31 and the NWF – the Government’s principal investor and policy bank - is already playing an active role in supporting the UK’s nuclear ambitions. Last year, it announced a term loan of up to £36.6 billion to finance the construction of Sizewell C and just last month, it committed up to £599 million of financing to support Rolls-Royce SMR with the development of its SMRs.
The technology
The development of SMRs, AMRs and MMRs has opened up new pathways to decarbonisation.
This next generation technology can be deployed more flexibly than gigawatt-scale plants while providing industry with a reliable, continuous energy supply.
The reactors can also often be co-located with industrial sites and their off-site construction has significant advantages for sustainability.
SMRs are primarily dedicated to electricity generation, while AMRs also have the potential to be used in heat generation for industrial decarbonisation, and the production of hydrogen and synthetic fuels. MMRs, meanwhile, are particularly useful where land and grid capacity is limited, such is on remote industrial sites.
Looking to the future, the Government’s recently launched Fusion Strategy builds on a £2.5 billion investment in fusion R&D secured at the Spending Review. It sets out a market framework to attract and support private investment in fusion energy, and breaks down how the investment will be spent, including plans for a new world-leading fusion energy plant in a former coal plant in Nottinghamshire. Known as STEP, the project is due to be completed by 2040.
What is happening in North East England?
The region is swiftly establishing itself as a driving force in the nuclear renaissance, thanks to several headline-making projects.
X-energy and Centrica have signed an agreement to deploy AMRs in the UK with a preferred first power station at Hartlepool, targeted to come online in the mid-2030s. The project will deliver at least £12.5 billion of lifetime economic value with the potential to create thousands of high quality, skilled jobs in construction locally, and hundreds more for 60 years of operations.
The plant will generate enough clean power for up to 1.5 million homes with additional potential to provide high-temperature steam for new or existing industries.
The Tees Valley is also home to Community Nuclear Power, the UK’s only independent SMR development company. It is working with Westinghouse to deploy four AP300 SMRs on a site on the North Bank of the Tees. This will create hundreds of local job opportunities in the construction and operational phases and have a wider impact for the region through supplying clean energy to Green Lizard’s planned green energy, fuel and chemical park on Teesside.
And in September 2025, EDF confirmed a life extension to Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station until 2028 – this will secure hundreds of jobs. The eventual decommissioning of the site will create new opportunities across the supply chain too.
A nuclear-ready region
It’s perhaps no surprise that North East England is taking such an important role in the nuclear renaissance.
The region has a long association with nuclear power, dating back to 1969, when work started on Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station. The construction and operation of the site built a bedrock of nuclear expertise in North East England. Now there’s a huge nuclear engineering skills base and a highly skilled workforce capable of delivering nuclear projects across the UK, including power station construction, operation, life extension and decommissioning.
Traditional industries including shipbuilding, steel production, coal mining, oil & gas and chemicals, and the region’s strengths in subsea engineering, offshore renewables, and advanced manufacturing, have produced a deep well of transferable skills and capabilities.
And already, a swathe of specialist companies in the region are active in the nuclear sector.
Amentum has bases in both Newcastle and Stockton-on-Tees, and has more than 300 employees in the region who support both national and international projects, including Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C.
Another example is Siemens Energy, which has a major strategic partnership with Rolls-Royce SMR, and employs more than 500 people at its Newcastle facility.
North East England’s nuclear ecosystem includes dozens of established organisations specialising in insulation, ducting, thermocouples, engineering consultancy, machining fabrication, asset integrity, electrical engineering and much more.
New build programmes and decommissioning will increase demand for new talent in areas such as mechanical and electrical engineering, control and instrumentation, fabrication, project management, cyber security and health and safety.
And education providers are stepping up. Hartlepool College of Further Education, for instance, is responding through its engineering and electrical training and apprenticeship provision. It is also working with Hartlepool Borough Council, Hartlepool Development Corporation, Centrica, X-energy and Jonathan Brash MP on a planned Nuclear and Electrical Trades Academy in Hartlepool, which will offer high quality technical training.
So how are the region’s strengths being brought together?
To champion the industry with a unified voice, last year NOF formed the Nuclear North East England Stakeholder Group, which is now chaired by Paul Harding, Operations Director of Amentum. Participants include Amentum, Assystem, Cavendish Nuclear, Community Nuclear Power (CNP), EDF, Frazer-Nash Consultancy, Hartlepool College of Further Education, ITS, Severfield, Siemens Energy, X-energy, and the Nuclear Institute’s North East Branch.
Through the Nuclear North East England Stakeholder Group, we aim to firmly position North East England as a key hub for the nuclear industry.
What opportunities is the nuclear renaissance creating?
The answer is more than people might think.
At last year’s Nuclear North East England Conference & Exhibition in Durham, I heard loud and clear from developers that plant design, build, maintenance and operation requires a vast set of skills, products and services – and that perceptions of the sector as an industry only open to extremely specialist companies were misplaced.
Of course, there are regulatory standards to meet, but the message was that organisations in North East England’s existing supply chains – those that have supported industries such as oil & gas and the process sector – should see opportunities, rather than barriers.
And in a sector that prizes innovative thinking and new approaches, the experience gained and lessons learned from other industries can be invaluable.
Find your place in the supply chain – attend the Nuclear North East England Conference & Exhibition
The Nuclear North East England Conference & Exhibition, organised by NOF, will be taking place at Wynyard Hall in Teesside on May 21 – and it’s the perfect opportunity to learn about new projects, gain insight into the sector from our expert speakers, and connect with industry players from the region and across the UK.
We’re expecting more than 400 attendees and over 40 exhibitors at the event, which is supported by The Nuclear Institute, Nuclear Industry Association, the Nuclear Regions Collaboration and NucCol.
Whether you’re an SME from North East England, or a company operating across the country, the Nuclear North East England Conference & Exhibition will support your journey in nuclear – and I hope to see there.
Find out more about the event and book here: https://www.nuclearnortheastengland.com/
