Teesside on shortlist for £1.3 billion Holtec Britain nuclear plant

Teesside has been shortlisted for a £1.3 billion nuclear plant.

Holtec Britain has earmarked the area as a potential factory site.

Planned to make small modular reactors for UK, European and Middle Eastern markets, bosses say the base would create 400 jobs and support 3600 construction posts.

They add the factory – which could produce up to four reactors a year, worth as much as £2 billion each – could add £1.5 billion to the local economy over 15 years.

Welcoming the shortlisting announcement, Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “This shows we’re truly the capital of growth for small modular reactor technology.

“We’re putting down a marker to the rest of the world, showing we’re a powerhouse in green energy production and manufacturing.”

Holtec, which says its proposed factory would not deal with nuclear fuel, is also looking at sites in the West Midlands, Cumbria and South Yorkshire.

It is expected to visit Teesside in the coming months, with a final decision expected in the autumn.

Holtec’s blueprint comes after US firm Westinghouse revealed plans to build four, privately-financed, small modular reactors, at Seal Sands, near Billingham.

Slated to begin commercial operations in the early 2030s, officials say the fleet will “not just support grid generation, but also (support) industrial sites for generating clean and secure energy and the ability to produce hydrogen, e-fuels, desalination and district heating”.