The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) has been completed for Unit 2 of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station under construction in Somerset, southwest England, developer EDF said.
EDF said in a social media post that the RPV is now being prepared for shipment to the UK.
The RPV is one of the largest reactor components at a nuclear plant, a vessel containing the nuclear reactor coolant, core shroud, and the reactor core and fuel.
It was manufactured at a Framatome plant in Saint Marcel, France.
According to EDF, two steam generations for the Hinkley Point C second unit are also completed and will be delivered later in 2026.
Hinkley Point C, which will have two 1,630-MW EPR units, is the first nuclear station to be built in Britain for 30 years.
EDF has said the nuclear station will provide zero-carbon electricity for more than six million homes, boosting Britain’s energy security for decades to come.
Construction of Hinkley Point C-2 began in December 2019 and of Hinkley Point C-1 in December 2018.
In 2024, EDF said the project had been delayed until 2029 at the earliest, with the cost potentially increasing to as much as £46bn (€52bn, $61bn) at today’s prices and the company blaming Covid, Brexit and inflation.
