
Simon Hughes NWS
Thousands of jobs are expected to be created during the siting and constructing of a deep underground facility for the safe and secure disposal of higher-activity radioactive waste according to a new report from Nuclear Waste Services.
A Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) will be one of the biggest infrastructure programmes in the UK and provide a major investment for the local host community and its economy, as well as being a vital national project.
GDF – Creating Jobs & Skills: A First Look sets out how the multi-billion-pound programme could create thousands of skilled, well-paid jobs for over a century.
Simon Hughes, Community Engagement and Siting Director at Nuclear Waste services, tells us more –
Precisely how many jobs will be created through the construction of a GDF?
The development of a GDF is an incredibly long-term project, so at this stage it’s really difficult to be precise! But by looking at other similar types of project we can estimate that the design, construction and closure of the facility will continue for the next 170 years, and we expect it to generate an average of 2,000 jobs in any given year.
During the approximately 10-year construction phase of the programme, we estimate that around 4,000 jobs would be created. And added to that the long-term nature of the programme provides a unique opportunity to develop skills, expertise and sustainable jobs for a local community.
What sort of jobs will be created?
Skilled, well-paid, mostly ‘blue collar’ jobs for over a century. A GDF could provide significant additional investment and create thousands of extra jobs through increased business opportunities and the development of new or improved infrastructure and facilities across a region. Roles would be available in a range of disciplines including engineering, science and technical, trades, operations, and business functions. We expect that around three quarters of these roles would be suitable for candidates with qualifications up to A-Level standard.

GDF workforce and skills
Will NWS support local people develop the required skills for these roles?
Absolutely. This highly engineered facility will be one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the UK and will provide a major investment for the local host community and its economy. The long timeframe means that education and training initiatives are planned to ensure that if local people want to take one of these roles, they have access to any training they might need locally. A long-term infrastructure project like a GDF provides an opportunity to invest in and develop a vibrant and multi-skilled workforce locally, which is one of the great benefits it could bring. This project will provide a unique opportunity not only to recruit but also to upskill and reskill local communities, transforming the prospects of a region for generations. We also expect this would encourage other industries and sectors to seek opportunities to develop alongside a GDF.
Where will these opportunities be located?
Right now, we cannot say for certain. However, we are committed to recruiting locally where possible. Employment will be generated at the facility itself and in the supply chain, while attracting further investment and business opportunities in the local area. Most of the jobs created during construction and operation could and should be locally based.
We have started conversations with four communities across the UK which are progressing well. Three of these are in Cumbria in nuclear communities and one is in Lincolnshire, non-nuclear.
We can estimate now that about a third of the jobs created for constructing the facility would be employed directly on the site, a third in the local supply chain, providing services to those on site and the final third generated in the local economy.
When will these job posts be available?
We estimate that more than 4,000 jobs will be created in the first 25 years of the project, with construction currently planned to commence around 2040, depending of course on the programme receiving all the permissions and consents it requires to proceed. The UK search for a suitable site is a nationwide process based on community consent and includes detailed investigations over several years to ensure a GDF can be constructed safely and securely. As mentioned, we now have four Community Partnerships and we are currently engaging in a dialogue with local people to ensure they have access to information about what hosting a GDF might mean for them.
How accurate are these predictions for any specific area?
They’re here to help with the bigger picture and understanding of job creation for communities. Our recent report, GDF – Creating Jobs & Skills: A First Look, includes our latest estimates of the range and skill level of jobs created by a GDF across its lifetime. The report provides a national picture, and at this early stage in the process, is not specific to any region. Building on this generic review, we are commissioning further detailed analysis to understand requirements for specific regions.
December 2022