The world’s largest crane, which is able to stand 250m tall and carry 5,000 tonnes, has started work at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station site in Somerset.

It will be used to lift large prefabricated sections of the power station into place.

The crane was developed to support the growing trend towards ‘modularisation’ in big construction – and its deployment allows Hinkley Point C to exploit this innovation on a large scale.

The crane’s huge size and capacity allows large components to be built in covered factory conditions on site, improving quality and saving time.

The success of prefabrication has already been proved during construction of the two operational EPRs built by EDF and CGN at Taishan in China. Its use at Hinkley Point C is another example of the innovation made possible by experience gained and applied from other nuclear construction projects

EDF says Hinkley Point C’s reliable low carbon electricity will play a vital role in helping the UK tackle the climate change crisis.

With a large expansion of renewables, nuclear will make net-zero decarbonisation possible, reducing the cost of periods with too much or too little wind and sun and ensuring a secure supply.

Innovations such as the increased use of prefabrication and the transfer of design, skills and experience from Hinkley Point C will provide a direct benefit to the proposed near-identical project at Sizewell C in Suffolk, making it cheaper to build and finance.

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