The first nuclear reactor for Somerset's Hinkley Point C power plant has arrived on site.
The French-built “reactor pressure vessel” - the first constructed for a British power station in more than 30 years - is a high-strength steel cylinder that contains the nuclear fuel and the chain reaction needed to make heat.
The reactor, the first of two for the plant, first arrived in the UK at Avonmouth Docks in Bristol, before being transported by barge to Combwich Wharf on the River Parrett in Somerset. The final journey was a 5-hour trip for 4 miles by a transporter to the construction site near Bridgwater.
The plant’s developer, French energy giant EDF, said the delivery marked a “significant milestone for Hinkley Point C”, one of Europe’s largest construction projects. The vessel will be installed in the reactor building, after its dome roof is lifted into place.
Completed by Framatome in December, the reactor is 13m long and weighs 500 tonnes and has been developed to help power around three million homes. It is designed to run continuously for 18 months at a time between refuelling.
It comes after EDF told investors Hinkley Point C could now cost more than £30bn to complete due to inflation, amid rising prices for building materials and labour.
In a presentation of its annual results, the utilities firm told investors that while “the real cost remains unchanged” for one of Europe’s largest construction projects, “the estimated nominal cost at completion could reach £32.7bn”.
The start of commercial electricity generation at the site is slated for June 2027. Full construction of Hinkley Point C began in 2016. It was originally estimated the project would cost £18bn to build.
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