Name of the Project
Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant project.
Location
The project will be located on a site to the west of the existing Hinkley Point A and B power stations in West Somerset, in the UK. Hinkley A was decommissioned in 2000 and Hinkley B is due to be decommissioned in 2023.
Project Owner/s
EDF Energy.
Under a deal agreed to in October 2015, China General Nuclear Power Corp (CGN) will take a 33.5% stake in the project.
Project Description
The project will involve the construction, operation and maintenance of a new nuclear power station, known as Hinkley Point C.
The development will include:
• two UK European pressurised reactors (EPRs), with a combined output of 3 200 MW, associated buildings and a plant;
• staff facilities, offices, workshops and storage buildings;
• cooling water tunnels and associated infrastructure, including a fish recovery and return system;
• fuel and management facilities, including for spent fuel and intermediate waste;
• a sea wall, incorporating a public footpath;
• a national-grid 400 kV substation and overhead power lines on site;
• a public information centre;
• a temporary jetty;
• an emergency access road;
• access and parking facilities for workers, visitors and deliveries; and
• a temporary accommodation campus, including 510 bed spaces.
The new power plant will be capable of generating up to 3 260 MW.
The power station is expected to operate for about 60 years.
Potential Job Creation
Almost 4 000 people are now working at Hinkley Point C; half of them are from the local area.
An estimated 25 000 new employment opportunities are expected to be created over the construction period. When completed, the plant will employ 900 people.
Capital Expenditure
The plant is expected to cost an estimated £19.6-billion to build.
CGN will cover one-third of the cost.
Planned Start/End Date
The project started after EDF and CGN had signed final contracts with the UK government in September 2016.The first unit is expected to be commissioned in 2025/26.
Latest Developments
EDF completed the biggest single pour of concrete in Britain at the Hinkley Point C project on June 28.
The utility poured 9 000 m3 of the material, exceeding the amount of concrete used for the Shard skyscraper, in London. It was reinforced by 5 000 t of steel built into a nest 4 m high that will serve as the base of the first new reactor.
The announcement marks the completion of the first part of construction work at the project, allowing for the erection of facilities above ground to begin in earnest. That leaves the plant on track to start generating electricity within six years, producing enough energy to supply six-million homes.
The company built facilities at which to mix concrete at the site a year-and-a-half before they were needed to perfect the exact mix of cement, water and aggregate to eliminate cracking. Reinforcement bars were laid with precision, no more than 2 cm askew from the plan submitted to regulators.
Other concrete structures at the site include two tunnels to the sea, more than 7 m in diameter and drilled by the machines that worked on London’s new Crossrail line. Those will bring water to cool the reactors, capable of filling an Olympic swimming pool in 20 seconds.
Key Contracts and Suppliers
Kier BAM JV (site preparation works), Framatome SA (pressure vessel and steam generators); Bouygues and O’Rourke JV (construction contract); and Sarens NV (assembling the world’s biggest crane at the site to aid construction at a later stage).
On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.
Contact Details for Project Information
EDF Energy, tel +44 1138 207117.