Construction of Britain's Hinkley Point C nuclear power station reaches important milestone

Construction of the new Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in the United Kingdom has reached another important milestone. The world’s largest crane has placed a 245-tonne dome on the reactor building of Unit 2. The country hopes the two-unit power station, with an installed capacity of 3.2 GW, will mark the start of a nuclear renaissance. Work on Unit 2 is proceeding more efficiently and quickly thanks to experience gained during construction of Unit 1, and the country wants to apply those lessons to the construction of further nuclear units.

Energy company EDF Energy announced that construction of Unit 2 at the new Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in the United Kingdom has reached a key milestone. Construction workers successfully positioned the 14-metre-high dome of the second reactor building. Construction of Unit 2 is therefore following in the footsteps of Unit 1, where the dome was installed at the end of 2023.

"Restarting the industry has been difficult, but construction of the second of our two identical units shows the great advantages of repeating an identical design. Build and Repeat (build and repeat – editor’s note) is the best way to build a new nuclear unit, saving 20–30% of the time. We will apply all our experience and innovation to the construction of Sizewell C from the very beginning," said Stuart Crooks, managing director of Hinkley Point C.

The new Hinkley Point C nuclear power station is designed with two EPR reactors and a total installed capacity of 3.2 GW. EDF now plans to complete it in the early 2030s, while initial plans had envisaged completion as early as 2025. It will be the first new units to enter service in the United Kingdom in more than 30 years. Britain’s newest nuclear unit is Sizewell B, which entered service in 1995.

Although the government is planning a "nuclear renaissance" with the aim of reaching 24 GW of installed nuclear capacity by 2050, installed capacity is likely to hit a low before the Hinkley Point C units enter service, with only Sizewell B, at 1250 MW (gross), still operating. The other four units currently in operation, with a combined capacity of more than 5 GW, are likely to be shut down by the early 2030s.

The world’s largest crane and lessons learned

According to EDF Energy, the world’s largest crane, known as Big Carl, is working at the Hinkley Point C site. The 250-metre-high crane can lift loads weighing up to 5,000 tonnes. The 245-tonne dome was therefore no major challenge for it.

"The government is ending years of delays to usher in a golden age of new nuclear power. It is doing so by funding Sizewell C and small modular reactors, protecting household budgets and strengthening our energy security," said Energy Minister Michael Shanks.

EDF Energy says that work on Unit 2 is progressing much more efficiently thanks to experience gained during construction of Unit 1. Progress so far shows that, compared with Unit 1, 30% fewer people have completed 40% more deliveries. As a result, Unit 2 is at a more advanced stage when it comes to installing the outer dome. EDF plans to use the experience gained at Hinkley Point C in the construction of its sister power station, Sizewell C, thereby shortening its construction time.