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Nuclear manufacturing hub to create 200 jobs

Catriona Aitken
BBC News
Boccard An aerial view of a large grey industrial building with no windows. Cars are parked outside it with greenery and a river in the background.Boccard
The new 10,000 sq m site will bring more than 200 jobs to north Wales

A new nuclear facility is opening in north Wales, bringing more than 200 jobs to the area.

The 10,000 sq m (108,000 sq ft) digital nuclear manufacturing site was officially opened in Deeside, Flintshire, on Wednesday morning.

It is one of the UK's largest supply chain hubs for the nuclear industry, providing infrastructure components for UK nuclear power stations including Hinkley Point C in Somerset and Sizewell C in Suffolk.

Boccard, the French company opening the new site, said it hoped to become "a driving force in the UK's nuclear renaissance".

The facility will manufacture components including pipework, supports, tanks and modular systems.

The development, unveiled by Stuart Crooks, chief executive of Hinkley Point C, and Rebecca Evans MS, Welsh government cabinet secretary for economy, energy and planning, follows the UK government's £17bn nuclear investment announced in its spending review.

Boccard A man in high vis protection gear, including a cap and ear defenders, stands in front of a factory line where metal is being shaped by a machine, with sparks flying off it.Boccard
The manufacturing hub will produce resources to be used at UK nuclear plants including Hinkley Point C

Boccard said the new hub would create more than 200 permanent jobs, develop local skills, and contribute to the UK's decarbonisation and net zero targets.

Bruno Boccard, the firm's chairman, said it was a "milestone in our century-long history and part of our broader European expansion".

"The UK government's historic support marks a turning point for the nuclear sector, shifting focus to building a world-class supply chain and attracting top talent."

Mr Crooks added the Deeside facility was "a prime example of the way nuclear is creating new industrial capacity in Britain", while Evans said it "clearly" signalled that "Wales is strategically placed to play a central role in the future nuclear supply chain".