800 jobs at new nuclear plant near Bristol

The firm behind moves to build new nuclear reactors near Bristol said up to 800 permanent jobs could be created through the massive project, with thousands more involved in the construction phase.

But Horizon Nuclear Power, the name given to the joint venture created by power firms Eon UK and RWE npower, will only be able to press ahead with its proposals if the Oldbury-on-Severn and Shepperdine area, near Thornbury, is included in the Government's nuclear national policy statement.

So far the location has only been identified as a potential site but Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband was today due to make a series of major policy statements about a new generation of atomic plants.

Horizon Nuclear Power, which will start operating next week, wants to develop land it has already bought next to the existing Oldbury nuclear power station, which is coming to the end of its generating life. It is also behind a scheme to build a station at Wylfa on Anglesey.

It wants to develop 6,000 megawatts of new nuclear capacity in the UK – enough to power a city the size of Greater London – by 2025 and hopes to get its first reactor online in about 2020.

Horizon said it expected to spend more than £15 billion on power plants, creating about 11,000 jobs in total.

Horizon's chief operating officer, Alan Raymant, said: "We've met a lot of local people and groups around our site at Oldbury and we'll maintain an open, no surprises approach."

"Technical investigations and ecological studies are progressing well and we'll shortly be engaging further with local organisations and the public on the detailed studies required to prepare any future consent applications.

"Without question, nuclear energy will form a vital part of Britain's low carbon future and Horizon Nuclear Power will play a key role in delivering new nuclear stations, helping achieve the UK's stretching environmental targets.

Mr Raymant said the company was also progressing with a competitive tender process with Areva and Westinghouse over the reactor design, which will have a 60-year lifespan.

Mr Raymant said: "Choosing our reactor supplier is a significant milestone and the technical and commercial evaluation of our options is well underway.

"A team of nuclear experts from across RWE and Eon has been put in place to support this process, with the aim of selecting a preferred supplier for exclusive negotiation early in the new year."

Horizon will have its headquarters near Gloucester but it is also looking to open a local office in Oldbury and another at Wylfa.

Meanwhile, Almondsbury-based contractors Hydrock are continuing site investigations on the South Gloucestershire land and a further round of public exhibitions are due to start later this month to give an update on progress.

They include one in Oldbury Memorial Hall on Saturday, November 21, from 10am to 6pm; at Berkeley Town Hall, in Salter Street, from noon to 8pm on Tuesday, November 24, and at the Cossham Hall, in Chapel Street, Thornbury, from 10am to 6pm on Saturday, November 28.