The nuclear industry is coming to Carlisle this autumn, when the city hosts the first Cumbria Nuclear Conference.

The two-day event on September 21 and 22 will attract movers and shakers from across the sector and highlight the opportunities – and challenges – to businesses arising from the new nuclear plant at Sellafield.

Speakers confirmed include NuGen chief executive Tom Samson, energy minister Andrea Leadsom, the former defence secretary and Barrow MP Lord Hutton, and John Clarke, chief executive of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Carlisle MP John Stevenson has organised the event.

He said: “Nuclear is a big opportunity for Cumbria – that much is widely recognised.

“But how we do maximise the benefits for the county? That’s what the conference will address. We need to raise awareness of the opportunities.”

Decommissioning at Sellafield has brought a steady stream of work for local businesses, not only in west Cumbria but for companies such as Bendalls, the engineering specialist, at Kingstown, Carlisle.

Mr Stevenson believes that NuGen’s plans to build the UK’s biggest nuclear power station at Moorside, Sellafield, will allow many more firms to bid for and win contracts.

NuGen – a partnership between Toshiba of Japan and the French energy company ENGIE – has plans to build three Westinghouse AP1000 reactors.

These would have a combined output of 3.6GW – enough to power six million homes and supply 7.5 per cent of the UK’s electricity needs.

NuGen is due to make a final decision on whether to proceed with the Moorside project in 2018 and had hoped to start construction two years later and have the first reactor on stream by 2024, although it now says the target date has slipped to 2025.

During construction, up to 6,000 people will be working on the site, immediately north and west of Sellafield, at any one time.

Mr Stevenson said: “There will be pressure on NuGen to use a British supply chain, perhaps sourcing as much as 60 per cent in the UK.”

The Conservative MP said there was a rationale behind the decision to stage the Cumbria Nuclear Conference in Carlisle, rather than west Cumbria.

He added: “There are nuclear conferences elsewhere but I saw a gap to have something here in Carlisle.

“Everybody talks about west Cumbria in terms of the nuclear industry but I want to emphasise that it will benefit the whole of Cumbria.”

The conference will open with a dinner at the Halston Aparthotel on the Wednesday night, followed by the main event at Carlisle Racecourse the next day.