Latest news: Nuclear energy jobs on the horizon

Gloucester-based Horizon Nuclear Power has announced a deal with Japanese company Hitachi, which could create new energy jobs 31/10/2012

Energy and engineering firm Hitachi has bought Horizon, which is based in Barnwood, for £700 million. The deal is expected to create new jobs across the country and will be completed by the end of November.

'We did have about 130 staff working here, but since the company went up for sale those numbers have slimmed down slightly. We now have somewhere around about 100 here,' said a spokesman for the Gloucester headquarters of Horizon.

'However, we will now have to start recruiting. We have a capacity for 200 to 300 people. So we hope to create opportunities for up to that number of high quality engineering jobs here,' he added.

Alan Raymant, chief operating officer at Horizon, said the announcement was a 'shot in the arm for the nuclear industry', while Gloucestershire's Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) welcomed the deal by indicating the potential for thousands of new roles to be created.

'Talks have been under way for some time in relation to Horizon and I am delighted that this long-term investment has been announced. It will create much-needed skilled jobs in our county, while also recognising Gloucestershire as a real hub for nuclear excellence,' said David Owen, chief executive of GFirst.

The multi-million pound buy-out of Horizon could be the beginning of a promising future for the next generation of UK nuclear power stations.