James Naish MP has welcomed plans for a clean energy jobs boom in the East Midlands which is set to lead to over 30,000 jobs in the sector by 2030.
The government’s new Clean Energy Jobs Plan, announced on Monday, shows how demand for clean energy workers is set to increase, thanks to a range of public and private investments in clean energy.
Nottinghamshire is one of the counties leading the way, with three major projects on former power station sites:
A multi-billion-pound fusion energy prototype plant is being built at West Burton in North Nottinghamshire. The first £2.5 billion for this was announced earlier this year. The project may create up to 10,000 jobs in total by the 2030s.
An £11-billion-pound nuclear plant and data centre will be built at Cottam. The cooling towers on this site were demolished in August, with the multi-billion-pound investment announced as part of the United States’ recent £150 billion commitment to the UK.
A new hydrogen pipeline – the East Coast Hydrogen Pipeline (EHCP) – will connect the HyMarnham hydrogen production site near Newark to the Humber Estuary. This project was announced last week and will create around 10,000 jobs. The site is jointly run by Newark-based JP Pears and Rushcliffe-based GeoPura.
Rolls-Royce, based in Derby, will also be building the UK’s first small modular reactor after a £2.5 billion announcement before the summer.
The Clean Energy Jobs Plan, the first of its kind, shows how key trades such as plumbing, welding and electrification stand to benefit. It is anticipated that a generation of young people in the East Midlands will benefit from new clean energy jobs under the plans announced on Monday.
Commenting on the news, James Naish MP said: “For many years, communities have been calling for a steady stream of high-quality jobs for our children and grandchildren to replace lost industries, notably coal mining. This is finally starting to materialise at scale which is really exciting.”
The clean energy economy is booming. A February 2025 report by the Confederation of British Industry found that the UK’s net zero economy grew three times faster than the wider economy last year, employing just under a million people in full-time work in a sector where the average wage is £5,600 higher than the national average.
The report also noted that the net zero economy is providing jobs and improving lives in all regions across the UK, including the East Midlands.
The Clean Energy Jobs Plan will ensure that clean energy jobs are always good jobs by requiring companies receiving public grants and contracts to create jobs with decent pay, access to trade unions and strong rights at work.
James continued: “This Plan shows how green energy can be at the heart of rebuilding our communities by creating well-paid jobs locally, meaning youngsters don’t have to leave Nottinghamshire for work or to go to university unless they want to. The government is seizing this moment to create the next generation of jobs to power our country’s future, which I know a lot of my constituents will welcome.”
