The milestone follows the signing of the first full contract as part of an eight-year planned regeneration of the Company's submarine building site at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.
Shepherd Construction was chosen to design and build a £23m logistics facility. The 28,000m2 building is part of a transformation of BAE Systems' site, which will include both new build facilities and the refurbishment of existing infrastructure in preparation for the construction of a successor to the Vanguard class.
Defence procurement minister Philip Dunne said: "Barrow is the hub of submarine construction in the UK. The site has recently delivered the third of seven Astute submarines for the Royal Navy and will go on to work on our new fleet of four Successor Ballistic Missile submarines and the renewal of Britain's nuclear deterrent; all helping to keep Britain safe.
"This investment in the logistics facility at the site is an important step towards the eight-year infrastructure upgrade programme at the yard, securing thousands of jobs and showing our commitment to increase defence spending each year for the rest of the decade."
Allan Day, director of the site redevelopment programme at BAE Systems Submarines, said: "The new submarines we are designing present one of the most complex and challenging engineering projects we have ever tackled. The world-class infrastructure this redevelopment will provide, together with our highly skilled workforce, will be critical in delivering these submarines to the Royal Navy."
BAE Systems bought almost 14 acres of land at Ramsden Dock from Cumbria County Council last year. Planning permission was granted in August 2014 and enabling works have been done to prepare the site for construction. Pipework and energy supplies have been safely re-routed to allow construction to begin.
