Framatome completes second reactor pressure vessel for Hinkley Point C

The construction of the new Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in the UK has reached an important milestone in technology deliveries. Framatome has completed the reactor pressure vessel, together with two steam generators, for the plant’s second unit. EDF plans to commission the second unit within 5 years. This year, the United Kingdom decided to build another new nuclear power plant with two EPR units at Sizewell C, where it aims to draw on experience from the current construction.

Energy company EDF announced that Framatome has completed the reactor pressure vessel for the second unit of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant at its factory in France. Two of the four 25-metre-high steam generators are also preparing to make their way to the United Kingdom. Each of the two new EPR units at Hinkley Point C will have an installed capacity of 1 630 MW.

The reactor pressure vessel is a 13-metre-long cylinder made of high-strength steel weighing 500 tonnes. Inside it is the reactor core, including the nuclear fuel, as well as components that ensure cooling and power regulation. The pressure vessel for Hinkley Point C’s first unit was manufactured in France at the end of 2022. Its installation at the plant, however, did not take place until December 2024.

Using experience at Sizewell C

The United Kingdom began construction of its new Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in December 2018, after a gap of more than 30 years. Technicians began construction of the second unit a year later. The planned commissioning of the plant has been postponed several times, and EDF currently expects the first unit to begin generating power in 2030.

"Lessons learned from constructing the Hinkley Point C reactors mean we will build the Sizewell reactors 30 percent faster. Improvements in manufacturing will benefit not only Sizewell C but also the EPR 2 programme in France," EDF said on LinkedIn.

Despite delays in the construction of the first unit, the company says that experience means work on the second unit is progressing 20-30% faster. EDF also expects greater construction efficiency when building the sister British nuclear power plant, Sizewell C. The United Kingdom’s government approved its construction this year.