Hinkley Point C share progress of development with new virtual tour
EDF Energy have shared a video of their site - where over 9,000 people are working to bring nuclear energy to the grid
The developers of the Hinkley Point C nuclear site in Bridgwater have shared a brand-new behind-the-scenes tour of their site.
Over 9,000 men and women are working to help secure the UK's energy supply in the future, helping us all on the path to net zero carbon.
In the new tour, we see the reactor pressure vessel at 13 metres long, the Nuclear Island, Turbine Hall and Reactor Cavity Pool - to name just four locations which'll be used to make up the complex system which will eventually be the nuclear reactor.
Earlier this month, two vessels - named “Neptune” and “Sea Challenger” - were delivered to the site to install vital components for the power station’s cooling water system.
The offshore jack-up vessels arrived off the coast, where the final phase of works are now taking place - and are set to be fully completed later this year.
Six vertical shafts are being installed at a depth of more than 20-metres, marking the next stage in connecting the six miles of tunnels with the seabed.
Once installed, miners will dig a horizontal connection between the bottom of the shaft and the tunnel. This is the first part of linking the intake and outfall heads with the tunnels. These 5,000-tonne structures were lowered onto the seabed last summer and will circulate water to the two nuclear reactors.
Often used to build offshore wind farms, the platforms’ cranes have a combined lifting capacity of 1,500 tonnes. At 132m, the “Sea Challenger” is longer than a football pitch, and “Neptune” is 60m long.
Each vessel uses its four “legs” to elevate itself above sea level – so it can operate safely without being impacted by waves and currents.
Work to install the shafts will continue into the Autumn.
Read more: Secretary of State praises progress at Hinkley Point C