The Contract for the building of Hinkley Point C Nuclear Reactor has been announced, with it being the first new Nuclear Power Station to be built in the UK for over 20 years to ensure the energy security of the UK going forward. Whilst the agreed strike rate of £92.50/MWH appears high (double the current rate), over the lifetime of the project, some 35 years, should see a good and guaranteed deal. If they build a second reactor, this will fall to £89.50/MWH. Construction risk is carried by EDF & its partners. Hinkley Point C-FT Utility Week
EDF has announced the selection of the Bouygues/Laing O’Rourke JV as the preferred bidder for a contract for the civils work to build the new nuclear power station in Somerset. Bouygues/Laing O’Rourke JV
A Kier BAM joint venture has now signed contracts with EDF to carry out £100 +m of site preparation works for the nuclear power station. Kier BAM
Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering has been awarded the £30m project to build a temporary 500m jetty for construction materials to be shipped in. Balfour Beatty
Costain will provide the design and delivery of the water cooling systems for the nuclear power station worth some £250m. Costain
EDF Energy and the principal contractors Laing O’Rourke/Bouygues have signed a Common Framework Agreement enshrining direct employment for workers on site which will set a minimum craft rate of £13 an hour and along with bonus payments will make it the best paid construction site in the UK.
I think it should really have happened at least five years ago, it’s not as if we haven’t been able to predict the energy demand going forward, and it’s been all to obvious that the “green” energy options were never going to realistically fill the gap. Maybe the political will just wasn’t there.
It’s a pity that we lost our world leadership in this technology, the French have successfully managed to supply the bulk of their needs (and some of ours through the interconnector) by building the same model all over France. We just couldn’t make up our minds whether we wanted BWR, PWR, Fast Breeder or whatever; should have stuck to one type and got on with it.
The “green” options, whilst technically feasible, can’t really be run out on the same scale, or will cause harm to the environment, for instance; the Severn Tidal Barrier causing a change in the habitat profile, the visual impact large numbers of Wind Turbines have in sensitive areas (just drive from Sheffield to Manchester across the Pennines & you’ll see) as just two examples.
Whilst the Government claims 57% of the workforce (direct & indirect) will be UK workers, that still leaves a large chunk (11,000) we could have once claimed as well, but that’s the price we pay for losing our technological lead, and having to hunt around the world for sufficient finance.
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