BNFL and Amec eye big nuclear contracts

Daily Mail13 April 2012

BRITISH companies led by BNFL and Amec are lining up to take part in a £12bn bonanza to build up to 10 nuclear power stations in the UK.

The firms are developing advance strategies ahead of a widely-expected announcement to build the plants should Labour win the election tomorrow.

Both Amec and BNFL's Westinghouse are keen to be involved, with Mitsui Babcock, Bechtel and Kellogg Brown & Root seen as likely contenders.

Amec said: 'We've heard the government is looking at this, andd we think there is going to be new build.'

The Department of Trade and Industry remains tightlipped over future plans, but the government has said it will publish an Energy White Paper if re-elected.

Energy experts believe nuclear power is the only way to meet the gap left by diminishing fossil fuels and insufficient renewable sources such as wind power.

Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt has always blocked new nuclear plants, along with Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett.

But with both women likely to play lesser roles in a Labour third term - Alan Milburn is tipped for Hewitt's job - it would be easier for the government to push the plans through.

There has also been talk of a new Energy Ministry, with a seat at the Cabinet table. But such a job would be unlikely to go to Energy Minister Mike O'Brien, who is also thought to be opposed to the nuclear option.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in