Reliable baseload nuclear power from Sizewell C will help build a resilient energy system and lower costs for households and businesses. As a generator of low-carbon electricity and heat, Sizewell C can help kickstart other net zero technologies such as hydrogen production and direct air capture.
Nuclear is a great way of producing low-carbon hydrogen as it generates huge amounts of low-carbon electricity.
Nuclear also produces a lot of clean heat, some of which can be diverted into powering hydrogen production using an electrolyser. Using heat has been shown to make electrolysis more efficient.
We plan to reduce carbon emissions in construction by using clean transport and machinery fuelled with hydrogen.
Sizewell C is also part of a consortium which has been awarded government funding to carry out a design study on powering direct air capture using heat.
In the long run, DAC technology linked to the power station could allow Sizewell C to become carbon negative.
Environmental specialists, Ricardo Energy & Environment, conducted an independent lifecycle carbon assessment into the emissions Sizewell C could generate once operational, but bear in mind that nuclear, solar and wind will all be essential for helping Britain achieve Net Zero.
The carbon avoided by generating electricity from Sizewell C rather than from a gas-fuelled power station means that it will offset its construction emissions within a few months of operation.
Source: Sizewell C emissions per kilowatt hour based on 2021 LCA estimate. Gas, offshore wind and solar emissions based on 2014 IPCC median estimates.
