THE positive impact of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station project on people and the economy has been documented in a new report.

The Hinkley Point C Socio-economic and Environmental Impact Report 2026 shows its three local training centres, operated in partnership with the UCS College Group, have given 19,500 people the skills they need to be part of the nuclear power industry.

Nearly 70 per cent of the 1,740 apprentices trained at Hinkley C were from the Westcountry, while others included youngsters from Suffolk who have learned skills they can take to Sizewell C, the twin nuclear project in the East of England.

The number of apprentices trained easily topped the station’s target of 1,000.

One of them, quality assurance apprentice Jack Davis, aged 23, of Watchet, said: “This apprenticeship has completely changed my working life.

“Before joining, I was in a dead-end retail job near where I lived.

“I knew I had more to offer and I was desperate for a change.

“One day, I went onto the EDF job service website, applied for the apprenticeship, and got it.

“That really changed everything.

“Now, I am working within the quality assurance teams on site, learning how to make sure nuclear specialists follow the right procedures and complete the correct paperwork during construction.

“My role helps maintain high-quality construction standards, and I find it fascinating.

“It challenges me in all the ways I had been craving.”

The report also maps more than £20 million of Hinkley C community fund grants to 385 local projects, the most recent of which was new play equipment in Williton.

Hinkley C chief executive Stuart Crooks said: “While most people living locally say they feel the benefits of our project, we do not take their support for granted.

“The community fund has supported many inspiring initiatives which show the vitality of communities and people around our site.

“As I prepare to move on from the project, I am proud to see what we have achieved, and I look forward to the completion of a power station that is helping to build a more secure, more prosperous, and more sustainable Britain.”

Mr Crooks said the benefits stretched across Somerset and had been accessible to more than 600,000 people.

He said the grants were creating community benefit which would continue well beyond the construction of the new power station.

The investment had also unlocked match funding of at least £8.4 million, and about 40 per cent of grants supported projects in rural areas of the county, many of which were known to suffer social and economic deprivation.

A total of £5.4 billion had now been spent with businesses across the Westcountry, with case studies highlighting suppliers growing their capability and winning new work thanks to their experience.

Hinkley C continued to deliver environmental benefits, including the planting of seagrass in the Severn Estuary to benefit the marine environment, £700 million of fish protection measures, 65,000 trees planted, and 92 bird species recorded in newly created landscape areas.