Speaking today to the EDF supply chain conference in London, Fallon said the 16GW of new build capacity planned for the UK could support 29,000 – 41,000 jobs, “with industry investment equating to around £60 billion”.
He added: “The British government is committed to providing the supply chain with the support needed to ensure they have both the capability and the capacity to take full benefit from opportunities.”
Fallon also announced that early next year, up to £13 million will be made available to help UK-based business “take advantage of the opportunities that arise from the UK’s new nuclear programme”.
When the deal between the UK government and EDF for the new nuclear plant at Hinkley Point C was announced in October, energy secretary Ed Davey said that up to 57 per cent of the contracts would be awarded to British companies.
However, a report by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills in March revealed that only 44 per cent of the contracts would be won by domestic companies.
A spokesman from the Department of Energy and Climate Change said the 57 per cent figure came from EDF’s own analysis of the project.