At the request of Greenpeace-Netherlands, CE Delft has looked into the direct employment effects of construction and operation of a new nuclear power plant in the province of Zeeland. Although a study covering only direct employment does not give a complete picture, it does provide an indication of what can be expected if plans go ahead. Based on a desk study of employment studies carried out in the US and Europe, an estimate was made of the number of jobs associated with building and operating a 1,600 MW nuclear plant, looking at the main aspects in terms of job creation. The desk study indicates that construction will create an average of 1,500 direct jobs on the site itself for a period of five years, with peaks of between 2,500 and 3,000. In the operational phase there will be 500 jobs.
Based on the main factors governing employment at nuclear facilities (nuclear experience, international building consortiums, international tendering) and a comparison with current Dutch construction projects in the energy sector, an estimate was made of the number of jobs that can reasonably be allocated to the Netherlands as a whole and Zeeland in particular, giving due consideration to types of positions, training levels, the local labour market and current recruitment potential in the Netherlands. The study concludes that construction of a nuclear power plant can reasonably be assumed to lead to a peak of around 120-150 direct, local jobs in Zeeland at a minimum. These are temporary jobs, for the duration of the construction phase. The permanent, direct employment generated in the operational phase is estimated as totalling 150 jobs.