A new factory at Bristol Port has been granted planning permission to manufacture 38,500 concrete segments for Sizewell C’s three marine tunnels – bringing jobs and training opportunities to the region while supporting one of Britain’s major energy projects.
The Avonmouth facility is expected to support up to 400 jobs. It will also reuse infrastructure previously used to make tunnel components for Hinkley Point C, allowing lessons from that project to be carried forward.
Production expected to begin in 2028
Early works are already under way, with 55 people employed by Sizewell C’s Civil Works Alliance delivery partner and another 86 supply-chain workers on site.
Subject to planning conditions being met, production of the precast concrete segments and tunnel heads is expected to start in 2028. The expanded site, around 10km north-west of Bristol city centre, will include temporary concrete batching plants, cranes, offices, welfare facilities, storage areas and parking.
Daniel Altier, marine and tunnelling delivery director at the Civil Works Alliance, said the project would establish a state-of-the-art factory while training a skilled workforce, with most recruits expected to come from the local area.
Components will travel by rail and sea
Once manufactured, the concrete components will be transported from Avonmouth to the Sizewell C site in Suffolk by rail and sea. The project has committed to moving at least 60 per cent of its construction materials using those modes of transport.
That approach is intended to reduce the number of heavy construction vehicles on local roads around Sizewell C. Sizewell C chief executive Nigel Cann said off-site manufacturing would mean the benefits were felt in the host community as well as at the factory.
The project is also drawing on Hinkley Point C’s experience with off-site prefabrication, with the company saying the approach is being developed further for Sizewell C.
Training planned for local workers
An employment and skills plan will be delivered by the Civil Works Alliance with local authorities, education providers and industry partners.
It will cover apprenticeships, work experience, internships, graduate programmes and vocational training, giving people in the Bristol and Avonmouth area several routes into the work involved in building the tunnel components.
