5,000 tonnes of Welsh steel used at Hinkley Point C nuclear plant

The base for the first reactor of Hinkley Point C nuclear power station has been completed, which means construction of the nuclear buildings above ground can now begin.

The final 9,000m³ of concrete was the largest concrete pour in the UK, beating a record set by the Shard in London. Reinforced with 5,000 tonnes of Welsh steel, the base has been under construction by the UK-French joint venture of Bouygues-Laing O’Rourke for six months.

The event was due to be marked by a visit from the Minister responsible for nuclear energy, Andrew Stephenson MP, who saw the construction site and met apprentices at the National College for Nuclear.

Good progress and efficiency improvements means that the second Hinkley Point C reactor will hit its own J-zero moment in June 2020.

Final contracts have now been signed for an innovative joint venture to install the pipes and cables at the power station. The MEHJoint Venture brings UK contractors Balfour Beatty, Cavendish Nuclear, Altrad and Doosan Babcock together to share expertise and incentivise collaboration and efficiency. The JV was influenced by the success of a single organisation carrying out this complex work during construction at Taishan, the EPR operating in China.

Pipework will be made by Bilfinger in Immingham at a modernised facility which will boost UK industrial capacity in this highly specialised area.

Hinkley Point C is working to tackle the UK skills shortage in welding by working with the MEH Joint Venture, ECITB, the Weldability SiF Foundation, South West Institute of Technology and Bridgwater & Taunton College, to develop a new welding centre of excellence in Bridgwater.

Making use of EDF Energy’s £4.5 million investment at the college, the centre will train and qualify the UK’s next generation of welders, benefitting people and industries across the South-West. With the ambition to provide 350-500 welding NVQ qualifications per year, the initiative shows nuclear power’s ability to create a positive impact for UK skills.

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, it will make “Net Zero” emissions possible and help the UK have an affordable and secure electricity supply.

Innovation and the transfer of design, skills and experience from Hinkley Point C means the proposed near-identical project at Sizewell C can be significantly cheaper to build and finance, and that subsequent projects at Bradwell B and elsewhere will also benefit.

Justin Bowden, national secretary for energy at trade union GMB, said: “The Hinkley Point C project is bringing thousands of jobs, a huge economic boost to the UK and will generate massive amounts of ultra-low carbon electricity for decades to come.

“It is great news that Hinkley Point C is being built and is on time. But if the UK is serious about becoming a carbon free economy then, starting with Sizewell C in Suffolk, we need at least another six new nuclear power stations for their reliable electricity as part of a balanced energy mix alongside green hydrogen gas and intermittent sources likes wind and solar.”

EDF Energy www.edfenergy.com