First concrete poured at Hinkley Point C

EDF has announced concrete has been poured for the first permanent structures at Hinkley Point C nuclear power station. Six months after contracts were signed for the controversial nuclear power station in Somerset, […]

EDF has announced concrete has been poured for the first permanent structures at Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.

Six months after contracts were signed for the controversial nuclear power station in Somerset, its galleries, which are a network of connected tunnels to carry cabling and pipes, are being built.

Construction of the building which will house the facility’s first reactor is scheduled to start in 2019.

EDF said they now expect around 1,600 workers to be working on the site every day.

Three million tonnes of concrete and 230,000 tonnes of steel reinforcement will be used in construction, with 64% of the project’s funds being spent in the UK.

A range of other sections have also entered construction, including a jetty to bring building supplies in by sea rather than road and a storage unit for these materials.

Project Director Philippe Bordarier said: “Pouring the concrete for the first permanent structure of Hinkley Point C is a significant milestone.

“It is the outcome of many years of preparation and hard work from all our teams and supply chain across the UK and France. It demonstrates our ability to undertake the serious responsibility of nuclear power plant construction.”

A United Nations Committee recently asked the UK to suspend work on the plant.

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