AtkinsRéalis has been awarded a new five-year framework agreement to continue its role as civil works design partner on the Sizewell C nuclear power station, reinforcing its position at the heart of one of the UK’s largest infrastructure programmes.
The agreement will see the engineering and nuclear services company continue delivering multidisciplinary design and engineering services for the 3.2GW nuclear power station in Suffolk, building on its involvement with the project since 2019.
The latest appointment extends AtkinsRéalis’ responsibility for the permanent civil works programme, covering the Conventional Island, Balance of Plant, Heat Sink Buildings and Ancillary Works, while maintaining its focus on schedule certainty and delivery performance.
President and CEO Ian L. Edwards said the agreement reflected the value of collaborative delivery across major infrastructure programmes.
“Common outcomes and shared responsibility across delivery partners maximise opportunities for innovation and collaboration,” he said.
“This appointment reinforces AtkinsRéalis’ expertise in delivering new nuclear build programmes and the confidence placed in our teams at Sizewell C to help de-risk delivery and achieve greater certainty for this nationally significant project.”
The contract builds on years of planning, consenting and enabling work already completed by AtkinsRéalis and continues its contribution to one of the UK’s flagship low-carbon infrastructure projects.
Building on Hinkley Point C Experience
A key feature of AtkinsRéalis’ role is the transfer of knowledge gained through more than a decade of work on EDF’s Hinkley Point C project.
The company has been applying lessons learned from the UK’s first new nuclear power station in a generation to improve design efficiency, programme certainty and digital delivery at Sizewell C.
Joe St. Julian, President of Nuclear at AtkinsRéalis, said the replication of proven approaches was delivering measurable programme benefits.
“AtkinsRéalis has played a significant role in design and engineering management at Sizewell C since 2019, bringing knowledge, experience and learnings from a decade of delivery at Hinkley Point C,” he said.
“Our design and engineering teams have pioneered new digital technology and data-led design to streamline schedules, increase certainty and mitigate programme risks at Sizewell C. This new agreement renews our commitment to realising the full benefits of replication and unlocking even greater efficiencies through excellence in delivery.”
Digital Delivery Supporting Programme Performance
The renewed framework also reflects the growing importance of digital engineering within major capital projects.
AtkinsRéalis said it will continue deploying advanced digital tools and data-driven design methods to improve coordination, reduce programme risk and enhance delivery certainty across the civil works programme.
As nuclear projects become increasingly complex, digital engineering is playing a larger role in integrating multiple design disciplines, managing interfaces and improving collaboration across large supply chains.
Long-Term Investment Beyond Construction
Alongside its engineering responsibilities, AtkinsRéalis has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting local economic development throughout the life of the programme.
The company continues to work with regional suppliers while investing in STEM education initiatives across Suffolk, with programmes that have already engaged more than 1,500 students at over 50 schools and colleges.
A Project Management Perspective
For project professionals, the Sizewell C framework demonstrates how delivery certainty on megaprojects increasingly depends on long-term partnerships rather than transactional contracts.
By retaining experienced delivery partners and replicating proven approaches from previous nuclear programmes, clients can reduce design risk, improve productivity and shorten learning curves across successive projects.
The strategy also reflects a wider trend across major infrastructure, where programme success is driven as much by knowledge transfer, collaborative governance and digital integration as by technical engineering capability.
