Westinghouse to use UK subcontractors for £15bn nuclear programme

US engineering giant Westinghouse is promising to use local subcontractors to build £15bn of nuclear reactors in the UK.

UK vice-president David Powell told a fringe meeting at the Labour conference in Manchester: "Through our 'Buy Where We Build' strategy we can maximise the local supply chain, creating opportunities for everyone."

Powell said the Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear reactor could help deliver more than £30bn to the economy - half through construction of new sites, a third from operating the plants and the rest from servicing.

The nuclear programme ramped up this week with the imminent sale of British Energy (BE) to French giant EDF. EDF's deal with BE is seen as crucial to kick-starting the UK's programme to build new nuclear power stations.

As part of the deal two key BE nuclear sites are expected to be handed back to the government by EDF. The sites will be auctioned off to other power companies later this year along with other sites currently owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency, in a bid to increase competition and speed up the programme.

Names in the frame for the auction include Germany's RWE and Eon, Spain's Iberdrola and Sweden's Vattenfall.