HINCKLEY POINT NUCLEAR POWER PLANT UNDERWAY!

By LTi-Vessco | 3 June 2019 |

For our team of engineers at Vessco, one of the most exciting developments of the past year was our successful tender to supply pressure vessels to the Hinckley Point Nuclear Power Plant.

Hinckley Point C, as the power station is formally known, is still in its early stages, although work at the site is well underway. Contractors have been busy with preparatory work and foundations for the past two years, and the construction site is a hive of activity.

Take a look at this video from EDF energy for an aerial view of the project.

The year’s work has seen a number of developments, including:

A 4,500 tonne concrete base has been laid to support Reactor One and associated buildings.
Around 400,000 m³ of earth have been excavated to form the heat sink for Unit 2, now sitting 9.5 m beneath sea level.
The platform to support the huge seawater cooling pipes is now in place. These will be lifted into position very soon, using a Demag heavy lifting crane weighing 1,250 tonnes.

This is construction on a vast scale. Our own work on the project is not, of course, at the construction site itself yet, but our pressure vessels will one day play a vital role in the operations of the finished plant. At the time of writing we are working on two very large pressure vessels for the project, and will be working alongside a host of other contractors to complete vital off-site components over the next 12 months.