According to Construction News , work at Hinkley Point C will boost the south west construction market by £ 500m over the next two years . The plant will be delivered by French energy giant EDF in partnership with the help of Chinese funding . The government announced its approval for the £ 18billion project after securing tweaks to the agreement . There will also be ‘ significant new safeguards ’ on future foreign investment in nuclear power . But there are no changes to the £ 30billion subsidy deal , which means the government will guarantee to buy energy from the plant at roughly double the current wholesale prices . The Prime Minister dramatically pressed pause on the project and ordered a review soon after taking over from David Cameron in July last year . The move , after around eight years of tortured negotiations , took Beijing by surprise and sparked thinly-veiled threats about the impact on relations between the countries - which Mr Cameron and George Osborne had put great effort into fostering .

SUMMIT SPEAKERS The economic value of the project will be discussed by David Sutton , delivery director at EDF , at the South West Construction Summit on 9th June at Ashton Gate Stadium , Bristol . The Somerset site will help the south west to become the UK ’ s fastest-growing region in terms of construction activity in 2018 , with output set to grow by two per cent in 2017 and 1.3 per cent in 2018 , according to forecasts . Construction

forecaster Hewes & Associates predicts that work at Hinkley will add between £ 400m and £ 500m to industry activity in the region during 2017 and 2018 . The predictions indicate that the south west will make up 7.4 per cent of the UK ’ s total construction output by 2018 - up from 6.9 per cent in 2016 . Organisers of the South West Construction Summit say it is an opportunity to hear from a representative of EDF who is directly involved with the Hinkley Point C project , and the Q & A session will provide answers to questions about the development . The summit will explore ways to address the obstacles that potentially impact the future success of the UK construction industry , whilst focusing on three intrinsically linked key themes : Skills and

Image , Productivity and Sustainability - delivered by 12 leading construction exponents in the region . The summit will highlight how the industry can approach and resolve these pressing issues through the experience and learnings from the prominent speaker line-up . Speakers include :

• Mike Borkowski - Southern Construction Framework

• Alexis Field - Highways England

• Nathan Waller - Natwest Bank

• John Boughton - Willmott Dixon

• Emma Osmundsen - Exeter City Council

• David Sutton - EDF Energy

• Councillor Paul Smith - Bristol City Council

• Leif Tarry - CITB

‘ a platform to identify improvements ’

A full speaker programme is available to download from : www . constructingexcellencesw . org . uk / summit By facilitating knowledge exchange and networking with influential regional construction leaders , the summit provides a platform to identify improvements throughout the south west construction industry , whilst also creating an opportunity to acquire crucial information from industry experts on how they have overcome key issues , through process , product innovation and enhancing perceptions . For more information , or to book a place at the summit , visit : www . constructionsummitsw . co . uk

The South West Construction Summit is followed on the same day by the South West Built Environment Awards - celebrating the best projects , people and products in the south west region . Submitting an awards entry is FREE and can be done online via : www . constructingexcellencesw . org . uk / presentations / awards For help in getting involved in either event please call 01743 290001 .

JOB OPPORTUNITIES Energy company EDF says the proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant is a multi-billion-pound investment project that will provide secure , affordable , low-carbon energy to around five million homes in the UK and create thousands of job opportunities in Somerset and beyond . Over the construction period , 25,000 new employment opportunities will be created , and once built , it is estimated that 900 people will work at the site during its 60 years of operation . In particular , as part of this investment EDF says it has committed :

• £ 20m to help improve socio-economic wellbeing through dedicated community funds .

• Over £ 11m to support the provision of employment and skills for local people .

• Almost £ 16m to the improvement of roads and infrastructure in the surrounding area .

• £ 3m into its Inspire education programme for young people .