Construction crews at Hinkley Point C have installed the second reactor’s 500-tonne pressure vessel after reaching the milestone up to 30% faster than on Unit 1.
The achievement is the latest sign that lessons learned from Britain’s first new nuclear plant in a generation are accelerating delivery of the twin-reactor project.
The giant reactor vessel was lifted into a temporary elevated platform at side of Unit 2 reactor building by Big Carl, the world’s largest crane.
It was then slid along rails through a giant entry hatch into the reactor house before being rotated upright and lowered into its final position with just 40mm clearance on either side.
Once transported into the building through a specially designed portal in the side of the reactor house, the 13m-long vessel was lifted and rotated into a vertical position by the reactor building’s internal polar crane before being carefully lowered onto its support ring.
While the first reactor vessel was installed using a large temporary overhead lifting system, the redesigned Unit 2 operation reduced the need for extensive temporary works, cutting time, cost and disruption on site.
The latest milestone comes less than a year after the steel dome was installed on top of the second reactor building.
EDF said Unit 2 is now progressing 20-30% faster than Unit 1 and is significantly further advanced than the first reactor was at the same stage of construction.