Thursday, 24 July 2025
The first of four 520-tonne steam generators has been installed in the first unit of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in the UK.
The carefully planned installation involved lifting the generator on to a special section of railtrack to be brought into the building.
(Image: Screengrab from EDF/Youtube)
It then had to be lifted and rotated into place where it will use the 295°C heat from the EPR reactor to turn water into steam to turn the turbine, to generate electricity.
(Image: EDF)
The installation brings an end to the journey for the 25-metre steam generator, which was manufactured by Framatome in France. The first of the eight steam generators that the two-unit plant will feature was delivered to the site in southwest England in May 2024 after a journey by sea and road.
The first steam generator was delivered to the site last year (Image: EDF)
Construction of the first of two 1630 MWe EPR reactors at Hinkley Point C began in December 2018, with construction of unit two beginning a year later. The dome of unit 1 was put in place in December 2023. The dome was lifted into place on the second unit’s containment building last week.
Last year, EDF announced that the “base case” was now for unit 1 being operational in 2030, with the cost revised from GBP26 billion (USD32.8 billion) to between GBP31-34 billion, in 2015 prices.
When complete, the two EPR reactors will produce enough carbon-free electricity for six million homes, and are expected to operate for as long as 80 years.
