BIRKENHEAD shipyard Cammell Laird plans to bid for contracts worth up to £50bn to construct Britain’s next generation of nuclear power plants.

The plan could create up to 3,000 local jobs over 25 years. It follows the completion of a deal that sees a subsidiary of Italy’s Finmeccanica sign up to take part in a three-way joint venture that also includes Laird’s existing partner, Warrington-based Nuvia.

The news comes hard on the heels of a separate £5m deal announced last week that will see the shipyard provide services to RWE’s new Irish Sea wind farm.

It is hoped the servicing of off-shore wind farms could eventually lead to £5bn-worth of work, creating 2,000 more jobs at Birkenhead, by 2020.

In 2009, the Government announced plans for up to 10 new nuclear power stations around the UK.

The process of commissioning new nuclear power plants for Britain was delayed due to safety concerns after a tsunami and earthquake crippled Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant this March.

But a report by chief nuclear inspector Mike Weightman yesterday gave the go-ahead for construction, with energy secretary Chris Huhne telling Parliament: “The report makes clear that the UK has one of the best nuclear safety regimes in the world, and that nuclear power can go on powering homes and businesses across the UK, as well as supporting jobs.”

That should clear the way for the first proposals for new plants being unveiled by developers early next year and Laird’s will be part of the bidding process after forging the joint venture to compete for both UK and future international nuclear power plant construction.

Laird’s formed a partnership with Warrington-based nuclear technology expert Nuvia in August 2010 and has now added Ansaldo Nucleare, part of Italian hi-tech group Finmeccanica, to the venture.