Prefabrication of Unit 2 at Somerset facility now approaching 60%, says EDF Energy
The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) for the second of two nuclear power plants under construction at Hinkley Point C in southwest England has arrived onsite from France, EDF Energy said.
The first RPV arrived in 2023 and is already installed and welded in place on Unit 1 of the power station.
EDF Energy said the delivery of the second RPV is a major moment for the identical Unit 2. The RPV harnesses nuclear fission to make heat and steam for the world’s largest turbines. Each one will power around three million homes around the clock. The high strength steel cylinder weighs in at 500-tonnes and is just 13-metres long.
Work on Unit 1 has moved onto the fitting out of pipes, cables and equipment, while Unit 2 is focussed on the completion of its buildings following the successful dome lift in July last year. Both units are 1,630-MW EPRs supplied by French state power company EDF, of which EDF Energy is the British division.
“Thanks to innovation and the experience gained from constructing Unit 1, teams are building Unit 2 20-30% faster, with prefabrication now approaching 60%,” EDF Energy said.
The RPV was shipped from the Framatome Saint Marcel factory in France to Avonmouth Docks in Bristol, before being transported by barge to Combwich Wharf on the River Parrett in Somerset. The final journey was a six-hour road trip on Sunday 11 January for four miles by a transporter to the construction site.
Hinkley Point C is the first nuclear station to be built in Britain for 30 years, restarting a supply chain and industry after a long pause.
In January 2024 EDF said the project had been delayed until 2029 at the earliest, with the cost potentially increasing to as much as £46bn ($61bn) at today’s prices and the company blaming Covid, Brexit and inflation.
Other contributing factors have included cost increases in civil engineering, labour and material shortages.
When approval was first given in 2016 the cost was estimated at £18bn and operation was expected by 2025.
First Unit Could Be Operational In 2029
Under EDF’s latest scenario, one of the two planned units could be operational in 2029. But it could be further delayed to 2031 in adverse conditions, EDF said.
The Sizewell C project, which will also have two EPRs, moved a step closer to realisation recently with the project company announcing that full-scale construction is set to begin with all necessary financing now finalised and available for the facility in southeast England.
Nuclear energy is seen by the UK government as crucial to a mixed power supply – providing a backbone of low-carbon power alongside renewables, which is the only way to bring down bills by ending the UK’s dependence on fossil fuel markets.
Hinkley Point C is owned by a joint venture between EDF (66.5%) and China General Nuclear Power Group (33.5%). The project is held by NNB Generation Company, a subsidiary of EDF.
The RPV being transported by barge to Combwich Wharf on the River Parrett in Somerset. Courtesy EDF Energy.
