Balfour Beatty has been appointed as the preferred bidder for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power project.

It has been chosen by EDF Energy for the nuclear plant’s tunnelling and marine works.

The four-year agreement will include the construction of three marine tunnels, both onshore and offshore, to form part of the vital cooling system.

It was previously picked to deliver the power station’s £460 million electrical works package in a joint venture with NG Bailey, which is currently on site.

On completion, Hinkley Point C will be the first of a new generation of nuclear power stations and the first to be built in the UK for more than 20 years, providing 7% of the UK’s electricity needs.