Second nuclear reactor arrives at Hinkley Point C power station

Second nuclear reactor arrives at Hinkley Point C power station

  • Post category:BBC Somerset


EDF A huge white, orange and yellow cylinder reactor is being transported on a wide lorry base in the foreground. Two people in orange high-visibility clothes guide it along the route. There's a narrow road leading up to the Hinkley Point C construction site in the background, which is filled with dozens of cranes and has two central domes.EDF

The reactor was shipped to the UK from France before being transported to Hinkley Point C power station by barge before a final journey on the road

The second nuclear reactor has arrived at Britain’s newest nuclear power station, which is due to open in 2031.

EDF said the twin nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C in Somerset now has its second high-strength steel cylinder, which weighs 500 tonnes and is 13m (42ft) long.

The reactor was shipped from France to Avonmouth Docks in Bristol and was then transported by barge to Combwich Wharf on the River Parrett before a six-hour road trip by transporter for the final four miles (6km) to the site.

The first nuclear reactor arrived in 2023, with the cylinders designed to use a pressure vessel to harness nuclear fission to make heat and steam to power the world’s largest turbines.

When the site is operational, each of the reactors – known as Unit 1 and Unit 2 – will power about three million homes around the clock.

EDF A cylinder reactor on a huge boat. It dwarfs a boat next to it and containers underneath it. A concrete port is in the foreground with workers in visibility clothing dotted around.EDF

The reactor arrived on a boat in Somerset from France

EDF said the delivery of the second reactor pressure vessel was a major moment in Hinkley Point C’s construction.

Claire Warner-Blackman, freight and marine area manager, said: “Months of planning and exceptional teamwork has resulted in the successful delivery of this critical component to Hinkley Point C.

“The Reactor Pressure Vessel sits at the heart of the nuclear power station and so it is vital to ensure that delivery goes without a hitch.

“I’m very proud to have been part of this complex operation and my thanks go to all of the brilliant teams involved.”

EDF Drone style photo of a boat with the huge cylinder reactor on it. It is dark and there's a bright light shining on the reactor and around it. On the horizon bright lights can be seen on the construction site, including lit-up cranes.EDF

EDF said the reactor’s arrival was a major moment for the project

EDF A cylinder reactor which is as tall as a two-storey home next to it is being transported along a road in rural Somerset. The transporter takes up both lanes of the road.EDF

It took six hours to transport the reactor along roads in West Somerset



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