In little more than 25 years – so the theory goes at least – one-quarter of the country’s electricity needs will come via homegrown nuclear power. Given the chequered history of attempts to bring through new nuclear, reaching that target by 2050 from the current 15 per cent looks ambitious. But one place central to turning those aspirations into reality is the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre in South Yorkshire, which sits on land which was once part of Orgreave Colliery.
'What we are all waiting for is the process GBN is running to run through. There is no way on earth companies are going to place a big chunky contract until the Government has said ‘we will have that many and we will have them there’. It is not about money, it is about decisions. The supply chain will then invest.