Hinkley Point C Receives Second Reactor Pressure Vessel from Framatome
The Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant project in Somerset, England, has received the reactor pressure vessel for its second EPR unit. The vessel, weighing 500 tonnes and measuring 13 metres, was fabricated by Framatome in France and completed in late November 2023.
It was shipped from Framatome's facility in Saint-Marcel, transported to Avonmouth Docks, and then moved by barge to Combwich Wharf before a final four-mile road transport to the site. The first reactor pressure vessel was delivered in February 2023, with installation completed in December 2024.
Construction of unit 1 began in December 2018, with unit 2 starting in December 2019. Unit 1's operational target has been revised to 2030, with costs estimated between GBP31-34 billion. The two reactors are expected to provide carbon-free electricity for six million homes and operate for 80 years.
