A giant crane has lifted the final liner ring into place at Hinkley Point C’s second reactor building. The 423-tonne piece of steel, which is 11.6 metres in height and 47 metres in diameter, is the third ring to be installed on the building at the Somerset nuclear power station.
It forms part of the inner containment wall of the reactor building and will now be encased in two layers of concrete. The liner ring was prefabricated in a factory on site, in Bridgwater, and has supporting brackets for the polar crane beam. The internal crane will rotate 360 degrees above the reactor and will be used for refuelling.
Hinkley Point C’s first reactor was was capped last December and is ready for the reactor to be installed later this year. The dome lift for the second reactor building is scheduled for 2025.
The announcement comes amid reports French energy giant EDF is courting investors to raise funds of up to £4bn to finish the nuclear power station, which has been hampered by delays and ballooning costs.
It is understood the state-owned company is in discussions with sovereign wealth funds and large infrastructure funds to raise more cash for the beleaguered project. Hinkley Point has blamed rising costs on the need for extra safety measures to satisfy British authorities as well as difficulty securing engineers following the UK’s departure from the EU.
According to the Telegraph, British Gas owner Centrica is among the companies in “early talks” with EDF over a £1bn investment for a 5% stake or more. Centrica has also been linked to the government’s Sizewell C plant in Suffolk, but a source told the Telegraph the company is “unlikely” to invest in both.
EDF currently owns 68% of the Hinkley Point C project while China’s CGN has a 32% stake in the Somerset nuclear plant. However, CGN halted payments to Hinkley after it was stripped of its 20% stake in Sizewell C by Rishi Sunak’s government over security fears.
EDF and Centrica have declined to comment on the reports.