There is no trade-off between big infrastructure and nature
4 min read
Sizewell C proves that communities and their beloved environments can benefit from major infrastructure projects.
Infrastructure is the force that holds our country together. It’s the roads that connect our towns, the bridges that carry our trade, and the power stations that keep the lights on.
Infrastructure isn’t just concrete and steel; it’s a catalyst for opportunity, innovation, and renewal. Renewal that must reach the communities that live alongside it as much as it strengthens the nation.
Sizewell C is the first British-owned nuclear power station in decades, and already one of the largest projects of its kind in Europe. It isn’t just important, or nice to have – it’s vital. To be as energy independent as possible, our power must be made here in the UK.
A year into construction, nearly 2,000 people are working on site, over 400 UK suppliers are involved, and contracts worth £2.8bn are helping to drive regional growth. These numbers matter, but what matters more is what they mean. They mean 10,000 jobs at peak construction and tens of thousands more across the country. They mean 1,500 apprenticeships, young people getting their start in engineering, construction, and science. They mean local firms in Suffolk winning work and investing in their people and communities.
Of course, with work of such scale there will be disruption, and we’re incredibly thankful to the communities around the project for their patience as we work at pace to deliver it. We believe that large infrastructure must be done differently, as an investment not only in the nation’s energy security, but in the lives and places it touches. For us, that means giving more than we take, ensuring the benefits for East Suffolk endure long after construction ends.
We know that there will be real impacts during construction, and in return, we must offer benefits that go beyond mitigation and beyond tick-box measures. True benefit means enhancing the environment and creating opportunities that build skills, confidence, and aspiration in local communities. That’s how we ensure this project gives back more than it takes. Our first Annual Sustainability Report, published this week, shows how we’re delivering on that promise and the progress already being made.
For too long, the story of infrastructure has been told as a trade-off: progress on one side, nature on the other. We disagree, and we’re determined to change that narrative. At Sizewell C, we’re not just protecting Suffolk’s unique environment; we want to help it thrive. We’re working with ecologists, conservationists, and local stakeholders to ensure the site becomes a model for how major infrastructure can coexist with, and even enhance, the natural world.
We’ve already restored 170 hectares of formerly intensively farmed land to create three nature reserves consistent with the Sandlings landscape that once thrived along the east coast. We also know how deeply people care about the landscape around them, and we share that care. Seeing trees come down is never easy, and we understand the strength of feeling it can stir. But every tree we remove will be replanted in autumn 2027, only two years from now.
When Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, visited the site, he described Sizewell C as “nature positive… another example of how development can go hand in hand with nature recovery when it’s led from the top, embraces real ambition, seeks partnership and takes a wide, integrated view.” That is the standard we aim to uphold every day.
Sustainability is also about people, about creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong and can thrive. At Sizewell C, we’re building a community as well as a power station: one that reflects the diversity, spirit, and strength of the country it serves. As one example, through initiatives like our Forces Support Network and partnerships such as Combat2Coffee, we’re helping veterans and their families build new futures while enriching the life of the project itself.
For future generations, especially in the communities around us, we’re taking a different approach to projects that have come before us, one rooted in listening. By working with local education providers and a group of twelve schools across Suffolk, we’re helping to strengthen STEM education and offering performing-arts programmes that build self-confidence and ambition. Of the 1,500 apprenticeships we’ll create, over 500 will go to young people in the local area, and we’re investing in a new college on the coast to open doors for even more local talent.
This is what we mean by sustainable infrastructure, not just cutting carbon, but enriching lives. We know that big infrastructure can be disruptive, but when it’s done with care, it can also be transformative. Infrastructure, done well, is the foundation of a fairer, cleaner, more resilient Britain. Sizewell C shows we can build big and build better.
Julia Pyke is Joint Managing Director of Sizewell C.
