Consortia expected to compete for Hinkley nuclear development
Posted - 02/02/2012
Three consortia are reportedly competing for the contract to deliver a new Somerset nuclear power plant, which will create new security check cleared jobs.
It is anticipated that the £1.2 billion civil engineering works for EDF's Hinkley Point C plant will commence in early 2013 and take three years to complete, employing at least 1,500 security cleared construction workers in the process.
Balfour and VINCI, Laing O'Rourke and Bouygues and Costain, Sir Robert McAlpine and Hochtief are now competing for this contract, according to the Construction Enquirer, with the Laing O'Rourke-headed consortium tipped to win.
A source close to the talks told the website: "The others just can't compete in terms of a directly employed site workforce and that could be a crucial factor.
They added: "A decision on the preferred bidder is only weeks away and the feeling is that the job is O'Rourke's to lose."
Back in December, CITB-ConstructionSkills commissioned a report indicating that 17,000 construction workers would be required to deliver the next generation of UK nuclear power plants.