BILLIONS of pounds could be ploughed into the economy if plans for a new nuclear power station get the go-ahead.

The Sizewell C Consortium, a collection of over 100 businesses and trade unions, has pledged around £2.5 billion to supplier contracts based in the North of England during construction of the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed yesterday between the consortium and Cumbrian MPs, Simon Fell, Trudy Harrison, John Stevenson and Mark Jenkinson.

It indicates a 15-year opportunity for suppliers.

Tier one suppliers Doosan Babcock, Laing O’Rourke, Atkins, and Jacobs are all signatories of the MOU.

Cameron Gilmour, spokesman for the Sizewell C Consortium, said: “This MOU is another clear step forward to deliver the jobs, investment and long-term economic boost for the north that the Sizewell C project can deliver.

"We are ready to get going. All we need now is the green light from Government to make it happen.’’

The expertise and technology developed through Sizewell C, and the next in line ERP reactor at Moorside, will also lay the groundwork for the development of future clean nuclear technology such as nuclear-generated hydrogen, and Small and Advanced Modular Reactors (SMRs) in places such as Moorside.

In a joint statement, the four Cumbrian MPs said: “This MOU is proof that the economic benefits of Sizewell C will extend across the entire country, including the north of England.

“Sizewell C will help to provide the long-term skills and jobs that so many of our northern communities desperately need and can be the next step towards nuclear resurgence in Moorside.”

The MOU agreement includes the following pledges: investing around £2.5bn over the lifetime of construction and support 13,000 job opportunities in the North of England; indicating a 15-year opportunity for suppliers from the North, based on a pipeline of EPR reactor development from Sizewell C to Moorside; working alongside colleges, research centres and educational institutions to ensure that talent developed in the North is encouraged to enter the nuclear and construction industry.