“The last nuclear reactor that was built was finished in 1991,” Ian Henderson, head of Framatome UK.
“In that time that skill base has disappeared.”
The firm is now trying to change that.
At a brand new factory in Avonmouth, near Bristol, they are training high-level welders and fitters to the exacting standards of the nuclear industry.
For Hinkley C, they are fabricating tanks and other structures. But on future nuclear projects, they hope to take on more sophisticated jobs.
Mr Henderson explained: “It’s taken quite a few years to build those skills up to where they are today, and we want to keep that going, keep investing.”
