You can ’ t buy a work culture like this and embedding one takes years .
FEATURE
Knowledge - the wealth of nuclear expertise at Hartlepool could help the region land one of the new generation of smaller nuclear reactors . because the nuclear industry works hard on developing its people . You can ’ t buy a work culture like this and embedding one takes years .”
Extending the station ’ s life has meant the Tees Valley has retained an incalculably valuable set of skills .
One thing that can be calculated is the value Hartlepool Power Station has brought to the nation .
Recent economic analysis has shown that since 1983 this power station , which operates from a small physical footprint , has had a vastly disproportionate economic impact .
If you factor in wages over the station ’ s lifecycle , supply chain impacts and the value of carbon saved by Hartlepool since work started at the site , you can see the power station has added more than £ 12bn of economic value to the nation since 1983 . For a site that covers just 0.08 square miles , that ’ s quite the economic punch and ,
You can ’ t buy a work culture like this and embedding one takes years .
with an extension to 2027 , it is one that will continue to deliver for the nation .
When you consider the region ’ s energy future , the nuclear skills developed at Hartlepool are vital for its economic future .
Mark says : “ While it ’ s true there are plenty of incredibly exciting new energy projects springing up across Tees Valley , it is also the case that nuclear developers are interested in what our region has to offer .
“ The rich variety of industries needing heat steam and green electricity to fuel their operations make nuclear a logical fit here .”
And new-build nuclear brings massive benefits . EDF ’ s Hinkley Point C in Somerset has been under construction for almost a decade and in that time the project has spent billions with UK businesses , including almost £ 400m directly with North-East companies .
It has also trained thousands of new apprentices and rebuilt the nation ’ s nuclear construction industry from a standing start .
Although Mark says it ’ s unlikely that Hartlepool , or the wider North-East , could land a new build reactor on the scale of the Somerset project , he believes the decades of successful generation and thousands of highly-skilled staff at Hartlepool could help the region seize the opportunity to land some of the new generation of smaller nuclear reactors .
“ These schemes would bring the same benefits as their larger cousins ,” he says . “ That would include lots of apprentices and work for skilled builders and engineers , along with contracts and opportunities for companies of all shapes and sizes offering all sorts of services .
“ The nation is looking to nuclear power to solve a host of challenges , both economic and environmental .
“ What the region needs to do is grasp this opportunity and build an exciting new future on the back of more than 40 years of nuclear success at Hartlepool .”
The voice of business in the Tees region | 37