New HMP Millsike to Power UK’s First All-Electric Prison
The brand-new HMP Millsike, located just opposite the existing HMP Full Sutton, is named after the nearby Millsike Beck river, locking the prison’s identity deep into the local community.
Cutting-Edge Green Tech Slashes Energy Bills
This isn’t just any prison. HMP Millsike will be the first UK jail to run entirely on electricity. Thanks to solar panels and heat pump technology, it will use a quarter of the energy required to heat old Victorian prisons like HMP Wormwood Scrubs.
The result? Taxpayers save over £1 million a year on energy costs.
Jobs and Local Boost
- The new 123-cell prison will create 500+ permanent jobs once open.
- Hundreds more jobs are on offer during the build.
- Over 40% of construction contracts went to firms within 50 miles, pumping up local suppliers.
- Construction firm Kier is hiring around 50 ex-offenders to give former prisoners a fresh start before the prison even opens.
The Big Picture: A Modern Prison Revolution
This announcement follows the recent launch of HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough, Britain’s first ‘smart’ prison, which opened last year. Meanwhile, HMP Fosse Way, a massive 1,700-place facility in Leicestershire, is set to open this spring.
The government is on a mission to build 20,000 modern, innovative prison places designed to rehab offenders and cut crime, as outlined in last year’s Prisons Strategy White Paper.
