The "world's largest" crane has lifted the final ring onto the first reactor building at Somerset's Hinkley Point C power plant, French energy giant EDF has announced.
The crane - dubbed 'Big Carl' - hoisted the 304-tonne steel liner ring, which was prefabricated in a factory on site, into place on Monday (December 12). The ring features supporting brackets for the polar crane beam and is able to rotate 360 degrees above the reactor. It will be used for refuelling.
It is the third and final ring to be installed on the building, which will eventually contain one of Hinkley Point C’s two nuclear reactors. The unit has now grown in height by 11.6 metres and stands at 44 metres, EDF said.
According to energy firm, the reactor building now only needs the 'lid' to be placed on top, with the dome lift scheduled for next year.
Hinkley Point C is one of the largest building projects in Europe and, when complete, EDF claims it will be able to generate low-carbon electricity for six million homes over 60 years.
In May, EDF confirmed Hinkley Point C would begin operating a year later than planned and could cost up to £3bn more to build than originally budgeted. The company announced the findings following a review of the project.
A previous estimate in January 2021 revised costs up by £500m to between £22bn and £23bn, with bosses at Hinkley Point C saying there had now been a budget increase of £3bn. Full construction of Hinkley Point C, which is based in Bridgwater, began in 2016. It was originally estimated it would cost £18bn to build.
Last month, the government approved plans to build a replica of Hinkley Point C in Suffolk. The Sizewell C station will receive £700m of public funding and will also be built by EDF Energy.
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