Kier has landed a significant enabling works package at Sizewell C to build the main entrance zone into the giant Suffolk nuclear project ahead of full-scale construction.

The contractor will start work in June on the North Plaza, a 15-hectare gateway east of Abbey Road in Leiston that will handle worker access, deliveries and security screening for the £38bn power station job.

The plaza will act as the main entry point into the Temporary Construction Area, with new roads linking in buses, deliveries and site traffic before vehicles and workers move on towards the main build zone.

The £50m-£70m deal will create around 70 jobs and gives Kier another foothold on one of the UK’s biggest infrastructure schemes after its previous work at Hinkley Point C through the Kier BAM joint venture.

For Sizewell C, the North Plaza is a crucial early piece of infrastructure as the project gears up for the next stage of construction and starts putting in place the logistics and security systems needed to handle the huge flow of workers and materials.

At peak, almost 8,000 people are expected to work on the Sizewell C project.