As the Nuclear North East Conference and Exhibition 2026 got into full swing in the beautiful setting of Wynyard Hall, it was clear why hundreds of delegates had flocked to Teesside on this sunny day in May.
The event on May 21 – organised by NOF – was a hub of ideas, technical knowledge and ambition, with expert speakers demonstrating why momentum is behind the sector, and exhibitors and delegates swapping business cards and discussing new opportunities.
Projects both planned and in progress were in the spotlight, as presenters from organisations including Amentum, Assystem, Bilfinger, Siemens Energy and Cavendish Nuclear took us on a journey through the current nuclear sector, addressed its challenges and looked confidently into the future…
Leon Flexman, Corporate Affairs Director (UK) of X-energy and Andrew Murdoch, Director of Project Delivery at Centrica, revealed more about the two companies’ plans to deploy 12 Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) at EDF and Centrica’s Hartlepool site.
The 12 Xe-100 reactors at the site could generate enough electricity to power 1 million homes, and the development could create around 2500 construction jobs and hundreds of jobs during its 60-year lifespan. “This is a multi-billion opportunity for investment into the North East,” said Andrew Murdoch.
North East England is also the planned location for a major project from Community Nuclear Power (CNP). It aims to deploy four Westinghouse AP300®™ Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) delivering 1.3GW of electricity or 3GW of heat, on a site on Teesside. The reactors will help to power the planned low‑carbon energy and chemicals hub at the Green Lizard Group estate in Teesside.
And Paul Foster, co-founder of CNP, stressed that there were significant opportunities for companies to support SMR projects with ‘conventional’ capabilities. “If you work in high integrity sectors, you can work in this one,” he said.
There were also updates on:
- The Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) Fusion Prototype Power plant project, which is being built at the former West Burton coal-fired station in Nottinghamshire.
- Plans by Holtec International, EDF and Tritax to develop Holtec’s SMR-300 reactors at the former Cottam coal-fired power station in Nottinghamshire, in order to provide power to advanced data centres.
- Sizewell C’s commitment to spending £2.5 billion in the North of England – and news on how the supply chain can engage.
- The Nuclear Industry Association’s work on how the recommendations of the Nuclear Taskforce should be implemented by Government.
And in a speech which summed up the spirit of the event, James Bewley, Chair of the North East branch of the Nuclear Institute, praised the role the region’s companies and workforce are taking in driving the sector forward – and in leading the way at a global level.
“The engineers and leaders at this conference on not waiting for history to happen to them,” he said. “They are the ones writing history.”
Horizon Works was proud to support the Nuclear North East Conference and Exhibition 2026 as both exhibitor and Event Marketing Partner.
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