Commenting on today’s (Tuesday) announcement, Mike Clancy, General Secretary Designate of Prospect, said:

“The successful bid by the Hitachi/SNC-Lavalin consortium sees a new entrant to the UK nuclear industry and demonstrates its faith in the economic promise the UK nuclear market offers both commerce and the economy as a whole.

“The Horizon venture is an important milestone in securing future low-carbon energy generation capacity within the UK. Its importance to local and national economies cannot be overstated.

“While Hitachi’s Advanced Boiling Water Reactor design has yet to undergo the UK’s generic design assessment approval process, it is a proven technology, so any construction in the UK will benefit from lessons learned from its construction in Japan.

“We look forward to working with the company and share a common goal of making the Horizon venture a success. This will create a new wave of jobs in construction, manufacturing and the supply chain, support services and long-term operational roles that will result in high-value, highly skilled employment for decades to come.”

Horizon was put up for sale by joint owners E.On and RWE npower in March, after a decision by the German government to pull out of domestic nuclear power production.

Meanwhile, EDF Energy and Centrica will decide by the end of the year whether to go ahead and build two new reactors at Hinkley Point, Somerset, in the light of negotiations with the government on the price of electricity to be generated at Hinckley.