Laing O’Rourke signs Programme Alliance Agreement for Sizewell C

Sizewell C is forming an alliance with three leading construction companies who will deliver the main civil works at the new power station in Suffolk.

A Programme Alliance Agreement has been signed between Sizewell C, Laing O’Rourke Balfour Beatty, and Bouygues Travaux Publics who together form the Civil Works Alliance.

The CWA brings the construction companies together with Sizewell C into a single delivery organisation. It will employ between 3,000-4,000 workers over the 8-year civils programme.

The Alliance will deliver extensive areas of the project, including:

• Enabling works and earthworks
• Marine and Tunnelling Works (including 3x3km undersea tunnels)
• Main Civils Works (Nuclear Island, Conventional Island, Heat Sink and Balance of Plant)
• Ancillary Works and Permanent Roads and Networks

The three companies joining Sizewell C are already delivering multi-billion-pound infrastructure projects in the UK and internationally.

They are all currently working at Hinkley Point C and have played a key role in relaunching nuclear construction in the UK.

As a near replica project, Sizewell C will gain from their vast experience and skills so that the new twin reactor plant will be built with significantly improved efficiency.

By creating a strong delivery culture which combines replication with innovation, the CWA aims to achieve a 20% increase in civils productivity compared with Hinkley Point C.

Nigel Cann, Joint Managing Director, Sizewell C said:

“This agreement ensures that we have three companies with deep experience of building to the highest nuclear standards delivering the civils for our project.

Hinkley Point C has done the heroic work to restart our industry and is seeing big improvements between the construction of reactor Unit 1 and Unit 2.

With our CWA partners, we will continue that progress at Sizewell C so that we deliver the best value for consumers and build a project Britain can be proud of.”

The CWA is organised so that Sizewell C is fully embedded in the Alliance as ‘Client Participant’. It will operate a Target Outturn Cost (TOC) contract model to keep control of costs and to foster transparency, collaboration and efficiency.

Cathal O’Rourke, Group CEO, Laing O’Rourke:

‘The experience we have gained at Hinkley will power our delivery of Sizewell C – working with our partners to deliver a complex project securely with a laser focus on safety, quality and productivity. I’m proud that Laing O’Rourke is part of a partnership delivering cleaner and cheaper energy for Britain.’

Leo Quinn, Group Chief Executive, Balfour Beatty:

‘Sizewell C represents a critical investment in Britain’s energy security and net zero future. As a trusted delivery partner with a strong track record in complex nuclear infrastructure, we are proud to be bringing our expertise and our learnings from Hinkley Point C to this shovel ready project alongside our alliance partners. Signing the Programme Alliance Agreement further demonstrates the important role we continue to play in powering the UK’s transition to a low-carbon economy.’

Jean-Philippe Trin, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Bouygues Construction:

‘Sizewell C illustrates Bouygues Construction’s commitment to supporting the development of low-carbon energy solutions, building on the extensive experience the company has gained through its involvement in major nuclear projects.’

Preliminary construction work at Sizewell C began in January 2024 and since then the project has achieved its early milestones on time and on budget. Sizewell C is expected to employ 7,900 people on site during peak construction and will support tens of thousands of jobs in the UK supply chain.

Earlier this month, the Government confirmed the project would go-ahead and announced further investment of £14.2bn over the next four years. A Final Investment Decision which will announce the private investors helping to fund the project is expected later in the summer.