Specialist Passenger Solutions (SPS), a subsidiary of FirstGroup, has secured a five-year contract to operate worker transport and shuttle services for the Sizewell C nuclear power plant construction project in Suffolk using a zero-emission fleet of electric and hydrogen buses.
The contract, which begins in July 2026, will see SPS operate approximately 150 buses transporting workers between locations across Suffolk and the Sizewell C construction site.
According to FirstGroup, the fleet will be supplied by Sizewell C Ltd and will include both battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses. The company has not disclosed how many vehicles of each type will be deployed.
Supporting Peak Construction
The agreement is expected to create around 400 new jobs, including drivers, engineers and support staff.
During the peak construction phase, the shuttle network is expected to transport at least 8,000 workers to and from the nuclear project.
The contract follows a 2023 pilot program in which four Wrightbus Hydroliner hydrogen buses were tested for employee transport at the Sizewell C site. At the time, the project indicated it could eventually procure up to 150 hydrogen buses, although the final fleet will now combine both hydrogen and battery electric vehicles.
Expanding Business Transport Services
FirstGroup Chief Executive Officer Graham Sutherland said the agreement supports the company’s strategy to grow its specialist transport operations.
“Growing and diversifying our Bus portfolio is a strategic priority for the Group. This important contract builds on the work we have done over the last few years to bolster our Business and Coach segment, where we have seen revenues double, to £230m in FY 2026.”
The Sizewell C contract expands SPS’s presence in the UK’s infrastructure sector. The company also provides transport services for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station construction project in Somerset, where it transports more than 12,000 workers and visitors each day as the site’s primary shuttle operator.
