The first of eight 520-tonne steam generators manufactured by Framatome has been delivered to the UK’s Hinkley Point construction site after arriving by sea and road. The steam generator travelled the final four miles by road transporter after arriving from Avonmouth at Combwich Wharf on the River Parrett in Somerset.
Construction of Hinkley Point C began in December 2018. The first of two EPR 1630 MWe reactors was originally scheduled to start up by the end of 2025, before that was revised to 2027 in May 2022. This was further delayed in January when EDF announced that the “base case” was now for unit 1 being operational in 2030, with the cost revised from £26bn ($32bn) to £31-34bn in 2015 prices. When operational, the plant is expected to provide enough power for 6 million homes for at least 60 years.
Four steam generators will be placed in each reactor building, operating at an average temperature of 295°C for at least 60 years. Their design, manufacturing and testing took six years. The 25 metre-long steam generators will take heat from the nuclear reactors to create steam to power the turbines. The first nuclear reactor is expected installed later this year. It was delivered in February 2023.
