HINKLEY POINT C: Wide-Ranging, Life-Changing Environmental, Social and Economic Benefits

Under construction at Hinkley Point C are two new nuclear reactors, the first in a new generation of nuclear power stations in Britain which will pave the way for the creation of thousands of jobs and bring lasting benefits to the UK economy. When complete, the site will furnish around six million homes with zero-carbon electricity, with the planned twin unit UK European Pressurised Water Reactor (EPR) capable of generating 3,260MW of secure electricity for 60 years.

EDF Energy made the final decision to build at Hinkley Point in September 2016, the first nuclear power station to be financed entirely by two private companies in EDF Energy and China General Nuclear Power Group. Construction and operation of Hinkley Point C will create 25,000 employment opportunities, up to 1000 apprenticeships and some 64% of the project’s construction value is set to benefit UK companies; to date, £4.1 billion has been spent with companies in the South West alone.

“Marking a significant milestone in the revitalisation of our nuclear power industry, Hinkley Point C will make a major contribution to the UK’s move to reduce carbon emissions,” EDF sets out. “The electricity generated by its two EPR reactors will offset nine million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year, or 600 million tonnes over its 60-year lifespan.

“Hinkley Point C’s contribution to fighting climate change means that it will have a large, positive impact on the environment.”

HEAVY LIFTING

In July Hinkley Point C was readying itself for yet further spectacular feats of engineering, with the precision placement of 5000 tonne cooling-water intakes on the seabed. Each intake head is four times longer than and twice as high as a double-decker bus, connected to five miles of tunnels used to circulate cooling-water for the new power station.

All four of Balfour Beatty’s 5000 tonne intake heads were loaded onto a barge at Bristol Port’s Avonmouth facility, joined by two outfall heads as the six structures then made their way across the Bristol Channel. “This starts a summer of complex offshore operations,” responded Ian Beaumont, Project Director Marine Civils at Hinkley Point C at this momentous moment, “with teams working in collaboration to deliver an incredible feat of engineering.

“It demonstrates the continued progress being made at Hinkley Point C.”

The structures will cap the tunnels which will supply Hinkley Point C’s two nuclear reactors with cooling water, and their colossal size means that water will enter the intakes slowly, reducing the number of fish entering the cooling pipes. Hinkley Point C will be the first power station around the Bristol Channel to have such fish protection measures in place.

In addition, they are installed sideways to the tidal flow, alongside screens and an innovative system whereby fish will be transferred back to sea. 

Roger Frost, Project Director at Balfour Beatty, echoed Beaumont’s recognition of the significance of the works. “Today marks yet another exciting milestone in the construction of Hinkley Point C with the arrival of some of the largest heavy lift vessels in the world, on site,” he enthused. “We are now readying ourselves to successfully complete our next feat of engineering: lowering the head structures, which will support the nuclear power station’s critical water-cooling system, to the very bottom of the Bristol Channel.”

CHANGING LIVES

“Hinkley Point C is making incredible progress on-site in terms of construction,” EDF is at pains to convey, and it is undeniable that construction has stepped up following the subsiding of the pandemic, with 8000 people currently at work on site. At its peak, Hinkley Point C will be the largest construction site in Europe. “But we are also working hard to make sure the project benefits are accessible to people and businesses across the South West and the rest of the UK,” the company continues.

“The benefits range from increasing local employment and creating a sustainable regional supply chain, to investing in new training facilities and the community.” To date, more than £13 million has been awarded to community initiatives in the South-West from Hinkley Point C’s Community Funds, which have provided vital support to local charities, voluntary organisations, local authorities and other groups across the region.

A total of £20 million will be apportioned during the project’s construction phase. “Our community funding is changing lives for the better now and for many years to come,” effused Andrew Cockcroft, Senior Community Relations Manager at Hinkley Point C.

“The Hinkley Point C Community Fund is helping organisations of all sizes in communities around Hinkley Point C or affected by the construction of Hinkley Point C, improving lives in the process,” added Val Bishop, Programmes Director at Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), which administers the grants.

Energy Minister Greg Hands unveiled the new Welding Centre of Excellence at Bridgwater and Taunton College’s campus in Bridgwater in April, one of three new training centres. Together with existing facilities and investment into education and skills, the centres will assist local people to be among the additional 4000 workers needed for the next phase of the power station’s construction.

Many of the 500 trainees who will qualify each year live in the local area and will fill these crucial roles, which will see miles of pipes and electrical cables fitted across the power station. The Hinkley Point C project has now invested a total of £24 million into education, skills and employment support, and the welding facility joins the Electrical Centre of Excellence in Bridgwater and the Construction Skills and Innovation Centre, in Cannington.

“The energy crisis has shown the need for Hinkley Point C’s reliable, low-carbon electricity is more urgent than ever,” said Hinkley Point C’s Managing Director, Stuart Crooks. “Our 2022 Socio-Economic Impact Report shows the project is also delivering big social and economic benefits in the communities that host us and beyond. We have worked hard to ensure that people in the region can benefit from the many job opportunities on offer in the next phase of construction.

“I am proud that Hinkley Point C is exceeding targets for creating jobs and training opportunities in the communities that host the project.”

As Hinkley Point C passes the halfway point in its construction period it is rapidly becoming clear that the project will generate a plethora of social and economic benefits, including wide-ranging and potentially life-changing employment opportunities, as EDF concludes.

“Hinkley Point C is vital in the fight against climate change and ensuring energy security but it also proves that the transition to net-zero can also deliver huge social and economic benefits, changing lives and communities for the better.”