RWE npower and E.ON UK have announced today further details of their nuclear joint venture, which is to be called Horizon Nuclear Power.

The company will begin operation from 16 November working from new headquarters near Gloucester.

The 50:50 joint venture was created in January and aims to develop around 6,000MW of new nuclear capacity in the UK – enough to power a city the size of Greater London – by 2025. The first reactor is expected to come online around 2020.

Earlier this year the company secured development land at Wylfa on Anglesey and Oldbury-on-Severn in South Gloucestershire. Its programme of new nuclear power stations could involve more than £15bn in investment and create around 11,000 jobs, including around 800 permanent jobs at each site and up to 10,000 during construction.


Chief Operating Officer Alan Raymant said: "Nuclear energy will form a key part of Britain’s low carbon future and Horizon Nuclear Power will play a key role in delivering new nuclear stations, helping achieve the UK's stretching environmental targets and keeping energy prices affordable over the long term."

The company is also progressing its competitive tender process with Areva and Westinghouse for the selection of a reactor technology.

Horizon Nuclear Power will have an initial focus on consenting and constructing new nuclear power stations which will have a 60 year lifetime.

E.ON and RWE have interests in 23 nuclear reactors in Germany and Sweden, including two jointly owned reactors at Gundremmingen and one at Lingen.

(CD/KMcA)