Move follows UK decision in 2022 to approve construction of two EPR plants
French nuclear fuel cycle company Framatome has signed “contracts worth multi-billion euros” with Sizewell C Ltd, laying out the scope of its involvement in the Sizewell C nuclear new build project in the UK, the company said in a statement on 15 April.
Sizewell C is a planned 3,400 MW new nuclear power station in Suffolk in eastern England. The station will be a follow-on and sister facility to the 3,400 MW Hinkley Point C nuclear station being built in Somerset, western England, near the city of Bristol. Both stations will have two France-supplied EPR plants.
Sizewell C is 51% owned by the UK government and 49% owned by French state nuclear power company EDF. The separate Sizewell C Ltd joint venture company was created earlier this year to build and develop the plant.
Framatome said it had been awarded several contracts including the delivery of the two nuclear heat production systems, from design and supply through to commissioning.
The company will also provide Sizewell C’s safety instrumentation and control systems.
It added that a “long-term fuel supply agreement, under which Framatome will fabricate the fuel needed to power the two reactors, as well as a contract for long-term services and maintenance to support the operation of the plant, are also part of the agreements”.
Framatome said the contract signing “follows the British Government Investment Decision in November 2022 to approve the construction of two EPR reactors at Sizewell on the Suffolk Coast”.
Bernard Fontana, Framatome’s chief executive officer, said in the statement that Framatome is “proud to continue supporting the UK’s Net Zero target by 2050 by delivering a replica of the Hinkley Point C project at Sizewell C”.
Fontana added that the Sizewell C project will “benefit from the valuable experience garnered from Hinkley Point C and our teams are determined to make it a success”.
