Images published showing 14m dome being installed at £46bn nuclear plant
The world’s largest crane has lifted a 245-tonne dome onto the second reactor building at Hinkley Point C in Somerset.
The team building the UK’s first nuclear plant in 30 years has published images of the operation, marking a significant milestone in the construction of the £46bn project.
The 14m dome closes Unit 2, one of two identical 44m tall reactor buildings, and will enable its internal fit out to accelerate.
It is the second to be installed on Europe’s largest construction site, coming 18 months after the first dome was lifted into place on Unit 1 by a crane called “Big Carl”.
The two reactors together will provide zero-carbon energy for more than six million homes for several decades.
The installation of the Unit 2 dome has benefitted from efficiencies learned during the lift of the first dome, with 30% fewer people achieving 40% more work on the reactor’s civil construction.
>> See also: Three companies to be prosecuted over Hinkley Point C worker death
Meanwhile, prefabrication of structures on the scheme is now approaching 60%, with large steel structures and entire rooms being lifted into place.
The next major milestone for Unit 2 will be the installation of its 500-tonne steel reactor pressure vessel (RPV). The first RPV was lifted into Unit 1 in December last year.
The project team for Hinkley Point C includes designer, engineer and operator EDF, enabling and groundworks contractors Bam and Kier and main civils contractor BYLOR, a joint venture between Bouygues and Laing O’Rourke.
Marine works and tunnelling is being carried out by Balfour Beatty and MEP work is being done by the MEH Alliance, a joint venture between Balfour Beatty, NG Bailey, Altrad Babcock, Altrad Services and Cavendish Nuclear.
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