Liz Truss and Emmanuel Macron agree to work together on Sizewell C
The new reactor will be built by EDF - which is wholly owned by the French state
Last updated 7th Oct 2022
The Prime Minister Liz Truss and the French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed to work together on plans for the Sizewell C nuclear reactor on the Suffolk coast.
The project, which was approved earlier this year, is being built at a cost of £20bn by energy giant EDF, which was renationalised by the French government earlier this year.
Work could start as soon as next year with the new reactor at the centre of government plans to boost energy independence and to get to net-zero.
The PM has been meeting European leaders at a summit in Prague this week.
In a joint statement, the two leaders said: "The Prime Minister and the President discussed advancing bilateral cooperation in particular on energy."
"They reaffirmed their belief that both renewable and nuclear energies are part of consistent strategies to achieve energy transition and strategic autonomy.
"They confirmed the full support of the UK and French Governments for the new nuclear power station at Sizewell and expect the relevant bodies to finalise arrangements in the coming month.
"The leaders committed to advance and increase UK-France civil-nuclear cooperation, including on innovation, infrastructure development and workforce skills, ahead of next year’s UK-France Summit."
Sizewell C could create thousands of jobs during construction and would represent a big boost to the economy in Suffolk.
However campaigners accuse the government of 'greenwashing' the impact of a third reactor in Suffolk, by playing down the potential environmental impact of the project.
Construction will require heavy machinery to operate near an area of Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
There is currently no permanent solution for radioactive waste produced by Sizewell A and B, with most of it being placed in storage ponds on the site.