Households to Pay Up to £19 More Annually for Sizewell C Nuclear Plant

British households will pay additional charges on their electricity bills to support construction of the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk. A National Audit Office report published Wednesday found that the average household is already paying about £4 extra per year during 2025-26 because of the project.

The report projects that the annual charge will rise to between £17 and £19 once the plant begins generating electricity in summer 2039. Sizewell C is expected to cost £38 billion to build and supply power to around six million homes for 60 years.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero assembled a group of investors to share costs. 6 percent. Government modeling estimates net consumer benefits of up to £18 billion over the plant's lifetime. 5 billion, though that figure may decrease if costs fall or construction finishes earlier.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said building new nuclear is necessary to reduce reliance on volatile global gas markets. She added that the project would save £2 billion annually across the energy system once completed.

National Audit Office head Gareth Davies said the department has applied lessons from previous nuclear projects and must monitor risks to taxpayers and bill payers.

Separate forecasts from Cornwall Insight indicate the typical annual gas and electricity bill could reach £1,850 from July under Ofgem's next price cap. That would represent a 13 percent increase from the current £1,641 cap and add roughly £209 to a typical yearly bill.