The Government’s renewed commitment to phasing out coal power stations is a boost for hopes of nuclear new build at Sellafield, industry watchers believe.

Energy Secretary Amber Rudd announced this week that the UK’s remaining coal-fired power stations will shut by 2025.

NuGen also revealed it has appointed recruitment specialists Morson this week to fill key vacancies.

Although media reports have highlighted her call for more gas-fired stations to fill the gap, the announcement is also being seen as a green light for nuclear – including NuGen’s plans for three reactors at Moorside, Sellafield.

Ms Rudd said: “Gas is central to our energy-secure future. So is nuclear.”

That sentiment was echoed by the Institute of Directors (IoD).

Dan Lewis, senior energy adviser at the IoD, said: “We welcome the Energy Secretary’s plan to strike a balance between clean, cheap and reliable sources of electricity.

“Creating reliable domestic sources of energy is an imperative.

“The UK’s first new nuclear plant in a generation, being built at Hinkley [in Somerset], must be the first of a fleet, with the Government focusing on making future nuclear plants as cost effective as possible.

“Gas and nuclear are both safe, cleaner forms of energy which we can produce at home.”

Dr Jenifer Baxter, head of energy and environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, also welcomed the announcement as “positive news”.

She added: “Nuclear power generation has a role to play, as this does not generate any direct carbon emissions at all, but does require significant investment into the safe and environmental management of whole cycle of nuclear fuel.”

NuGen expects to make a final decision on whether to proceed with Moorside by the end of 2018.

The go ahead would trigger investment of £10bn.

At peak construction, 6,000 people will be working on site to build three Westinghouse AP1000 reactors.

Construction is due to start in 2020 and the first reactor should be on stream by 2024, and all three by 2026.

Their combined 3.6GW capacity will supply seven per cent of the UK’s electricity needs.

In a further statement of intent by NuGen , it has appointed the specialist technical and engineering recruitment specialist Morson International to find key personnel for Moorisde.

NuGen ’s head of human resources, Karen Campbell, said: “The agreement with Morson is a positive step forward for NuGen and this framework will be extremely valuable in supporting the Moorside project as we power forward over the coming months and years.

“The vacancies that we will need to fill will be wide and varied, so it is important that the agreement with Morson provides opportunities for Cumbria-based suppliers and specialist recruitment agencies to supply to the Moorside project.”