Assystem to double UK jobs to deliver Sizewell C

Assystem has pledged to double its UK workforce following the green light for the Sizewell C nuclear power plant announced by the government.

The global nuclear engineering group, which has its UK headquarters in Blackburn, has been a key partner with Sizewell C’s developer, the French state-owned energy group EDF, for more than 50 years.

It has now announced plans to create 1,000 new engineering, digital and project management jobs by 2030 to support the delivery of Sizewell C.

And its bosses say the programme is expected to stimulate hundreds of jobs in the North West, including its Blackburn operation, in the coming years.

Roles will be created across the company’s 10 UK sites, including its other larger sites in Sunderland, Derby and Bristol.

The announcement comes after news that the government had struck a deal worth more than £38bn with private investors to back Britain’s biggest nuclear project in a generation, at the Suffolk coast site.

The government says Sizewell C will deliver clean power for the equivalent of six million homes and support 10,000 jobs once operational.

Announcing the finalised deal, it said the project represented the country’s most significant public investment in clean, homegrown energy this century – and was a major boost for energy security, jobs and economic growth. 

Simon Barber, managing director of Assystem UK, said: “This news is a major milestone for the UK as it commits to placing nuclear power and the centre of its future low-carbon electricity system.

“The deal represents the UK’s most significant public investment in clean, homegrown energy this century providing a major boost for energy security, jobs and economic growth.

“Assystem a leading company in the UK nuclear sector and we are ready to mobilise and deliver Sizewell C.

“We have a strong regional presence in the UK, and this means job creation from sites like Blackburn where remote engineering and project management work will be taking place.”

Assystem is currently ranked in the top three of nuclear engineering groups in the world.

Lancashire Business View reported in February last year that Assystem aimed to create more than 500 jobs as it carried out decarbonisation projects across the UK.

The roles spanned across graduates, engineers, project managers, data scientists and support services professionals such as those in health and safety, HR and finance.