EDF reiterates nuclear opportunities

Hinkley Point. Photo: Richard Baker

A new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point should be up and running by 2018 with construction work beginning in 2013, EDF Energy confirmed at its recent Suppliers Day Event held at The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London.

Vicent de Rivaz, EDF Energy CEO said: “Our programme is on track to meet this ambitious programme. The UK government has a united and clear purpose to deliver a low carbon economy supported by nuclear energy.”

To support this strategy EDF Energy has initial plans for two new nuclear power stations at Hinkley Point and Sizewell, both with two reactors each.

There will be opportunities for UK steel contractors as each power station will require approximately 20,000t of structural steelwork.

Mr de Rivaz confirmed that there will be between 150 to 175 major contracts, with 130 of these already let.

Speaking at the same event, Business Secretary Vince Cable repeated the Government’s support for nuclear power, but also stressed that it will not provide any public finance for the projects as they must be built and run with private money.

Structures and components for the nuclear projects will be classified as either non-nuclear safety critical or nuclear safety critical.  For non-nuclear critical structures, such as offices, turbine halls, electrical platforms – the buildings likely to be built using steel – the design and construction will be based on BS and European Standards.