THOUSANDS of job hunters in the Burnham and Highbridge area are expected to find work during the building of a third nuclear power station at Hinkley Point.

EDF Energy is about to embark on the next stage of consultation into its proposals for Hinkley Point C.

The energy firm says its project remains fundamentally the same but it has developed the details after considering feedback from the previous stage of its consultation.

EDF now says around 5,000 people in Somerset will work on site at some stage of the construction period, with up to 1,250 local people employed at any one time.

Job opportunities will arise in construction, mechanical, electrical and civil engineering, and professional, administrative and support roles.

When operational the power station will need 900 workers with 95% expected to live in the county and EDF has pledged to increase the number of apprenticeships over the next few years.

The company is also investing £6million in local colleges to develop skills, which it says will address the skills gap in Somerset.

The Somerset Chamber of Commerce says it is working with EDF to prepare the local supply chain for what it describes as an “excellent commercial opportunity”.

Bob Nicholson from the Somerset Tourism Association said a planned visitor centre at Hinkley Point C would add to an economic boost in the county.

EDF is staging a series of public exhibitions in the area around Hinkley Point as part of the latest consultation before a development consent order application is submitted to the Infrastructure Planning Commission.