Powering 6 million homes

Coming from Aotearoa New Zealand I wouldn't have thought a visited to a nuclear power plant would be on the list so early. This week I visited Hinkley Point Sizewell C site. Here's my learnings.

History and nuclear power plants in the UK

The site has been used for Nuclear since 1966 when Sizewell A became operational producing 210MW. The earlier iteration is now being decommission starting in 2006 and expected to finish in 2040. The next iteration Sizewell B has a capacity of 1250 MW and is a Pressurised Water Reactor.

Sizewell C is a Two European Pressurised Water Reactor (EPRs) which boasts a 3200 MW capacity, 7% of the UK’s energy needs. The power plant is projected to be operational in 2030 however has had delays on previous timeframes. Once operational the plant produces electricity for 60-80 years.

Currently there are five nuclear power plants operational in the UK by 20230 there will be one.

The environment, obviously what we'd learn would be limited to the full impact of the environmental impact. Bats and badger being relocated, onsite there is a bat house and whilst it took several attempts to relocate the badgers honey peanuts successfully drew them out. The 425,000L a min of purified seawater is used to cool the steam before going into the ocean which is a significant placement of volume warming the nearby ecosystem. The land cannot be used for 100 years afterwards.

Skills creation, co-investment in energy and broader contribution to the economy

Sizewell C is the first nuclear power plant to be built in the UK since 1995 and required training the various professions to be deliver the needs of this project. They have various offsite and onsite training facilities thus far they have trained 1200 welding apprentices. The project will support 70,000 jobs across the UK and rely on over 3,000 UK-based suppliers. It will create thousands of local jobs and contribute around ￡4 billion to the regional economy.

As a result of the investment in skills and training it has encouraged other investment in the Somerset notable Gravity Smart Campus securing plans to development a new gigafactory. It represents a ￡4 billion investment in Somerset, which will directly create 4,000 new jobs and thousands more in the wider supply chain. By the early 2030s, it will contribute almost half of the projected battery manufacturing capacity required for the UK automotive sector.

Who owns it and investment to date

EDF a French multinational electric utility company, the UK government and Chinese government have financial contributed to the project.

Current investment on Sizewell C has exceeded ￡30 billion thus far.

Fun facts

A hungry workforce – The site is host to 12,000 workers with onsite services provided such as cafeteria, bus transport, a training academy and healthcare needs. In the month of June 5600 kgs of bacon was consumed, where are they getting all these pigs?

Crete Guru’s - The site can produce up to 24 different type of concrete and recently able to produce nuclear grade concrete.

‘Big Carl’ is the largest crane in the world, 250 m tall, 96 wheels and can lift a staggering 5000 tonne. It takes 250 trucks to transport and has 52 shipping containers filled with sand to counterweight its lifts. The site also hosts 140 other cranes onsite.

Further details here: Sizewell C nuclear power station | EDF