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
Delays arising from the Covid-19 pandemic will increase the cost of the project to £23-billion.
Planned Start/End Date
EDF has revised the schedule for the commissioning of the project. The start of electricity generation from Unit 1 is now expected in June 2026, compared with the end of 2025 as initially announced in 2016.
Latest Developments
Despite being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, Hinkley Point C made significant progress on site in the design execution plans and on the manufacturing of equipment in 2020, the French State-owned company has said.
In this context, a detailed review of schedule and cost has been performed to estimate the impact of the pandemic so far.
This review has concluded that the project completion costs are now estimated in the range of £22-billion to £23-billion in 2015 prices.
Meanwhile, the project is focused on the objective to lift the Unit 1 dome at the end of 2022.
Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
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).
Contact Details for Project Information
EDF Energy, tel +44 1138 207117.