Sizewell C: Annual Update

Michael Shanks Excerpts

Wednesday 15th July 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Energy (Michael Shanks)]

My noble Friend Lord Vallance of Balham, Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, has today made the following statement:

The final investment decision (FID) for Sizewell C, announced on 22 July 2025 stands as the UK’s most significant public investment in clean, homegrown energy this century. The deal represented the best outcome for consumers and for taxpayers, combining lower-cost Government finance with investment from third parties, each with valuable experience in delivering and managing complex infrastructure projects.

In the summary business case for the project, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sizewell-c-project-summary-business-case the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero committed to providing Parliament with an annual update on the project’s progress. Alongside this, in line with reporting obligations under Managing Public Money, I am also notifying the House of the publication of Sizewell C Ltd’s annual report and accounts (ARA) for the 2025-26 financial year.

The Government welcome the progress Sizewell C Ltd has made in the last year.

There are now over 2,000 people on the Sizewell C construction site each day. Sizewell C Ltd also reports that the project has spent £4.89 billion with more than 1,000 UK suppliers, including £1.35 billion across the east of England alone, demonstrating the benefits of the project to both national and local economies. The project has also created 120 apprenticeships to date, with 80 of these for people from Suffolk. With plans to create 1,500 apprenticeships across the construction period, the project will be invaluable to ensuring the UK has the skills and capabilities needed to support future projects, as part of the Government’s vision for a new golden age of nuclear power.

Departmental annual update

Since FID and reaching financial close, the Department’s priority has been supporting successful delivery of the project across the Government’s roles as shareholder, policy sponsor and provider of the Government support package (GSP), and debt provider (with the Government’s debt finance to the project managed and administered by the National Wealth Fund).

As shareholder, the Department has been working alongside private sector investors to help ensure the project remains on track while maintaining effective governance and oversight.

As policy sponsor, the Department has supported Sizewell C’s engagement with other Government Departments and bodies, for instance with Defra and the Environment Agency on the launch of a lead environmental regulator pilot programme, which is being tested on a variety of major infrastructure projects including Sizewell C. Encouraging collaboration between developers, regulators and other partners is a key part of delivering the Government’s agenda for growth, by helping to streamline construction and keeping major projects on track.

Looking ahead, following the identification of Sizewell C as a megaproject by the Office for Value for Money, in the coming months the Department will lay a strategy and delivery plan (SDP) for Sizewell C as a Command Paper and publish it on gov.uk.

Sizewell C Ltd annual report and accounts

On 6 July 2026, Sizewell C Ltd published its ARA (which is available here: https://www.sizewellc.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Annual-Report-2025-26.pdf. The ARA provides a comprehensive account of the company’s activities during 2025-26, recording a year of major milestones for the project, including the expansion of construction activity on site, growth in the workforce, and continued development of the project’s delivery arrangements. It also provides updates on the project’s strategic priorities looking ahead, project finances, governance arrangements, and its approach to managing delivery risks and opportunities.

The project has already completed important local road and rail upgrades, and is delivering on its construction milestones, including first aggregate deliveries by train, progress on the beach landing facility, work on the temporary sea defence and cut-off wall to enable bulk excavation for the power station’s foundations.

The Department will continue to publish annual updates on the project in conjunction with Sizewell C Ltd’s annual report and accounts.

[HCWS258]