en.Wedoany.com Reported - Another key milestone has been achieved in the construction of the UK's Hinkley Point C (HPC) nuclear power station. EDF has completed the installation of the reactor pressure vessel for the project's second EPR unit.
Unlike the installation of the pressure vessel for Unit 1, which used a large temporary lifting device, Unit 2 employed a large crane named "Big Carl." EDF stated that this approach saved space, time, and costs. The pressure vessel was first transported by the crane to the vicinity of the reactor building, then moved inside through a 19.5-meter-high process opening. Subsequently, a large polar crane inside the building took over, rotating the approximately 13-meter-long component to a vertical position and precisely placing it onto the support ring.
The reactor pressure vessel is one of the most critical components of a pressurized water reactor, housing the core and internal structures that stabilize the core, guide coolant flow, and support control rods and other regulating mechanisms. The pressure vessel for Unit 2 was manufactured by Framatome at its Saint-Marcel factory in Chalon-sur-Saône, eastern France, completed at the end of 2025, and arrived at the Hinkley Point C construction site in January 2026. With this component installed, Unit 2 can proceed with the installation of the remaining equipment required for the primary circuit.
EDF stated that, thanks to experience gained from constructing Unit 1, which has an identical design, the construction speed of Hinkley Point C Unit 2 is 20% to 30% faster than that of Unit 1. Compared to the same construction phase of Unit 1, the reactor building for Unit 2 is progressing faster, with more equipment already installed, a greater amount of steel structure completed, and the outer containment shell already built.
Hinkley Point C consists of two EPR units, each with a capacity of 1,630 megawatts, and is the UK's first new nuclear power project in decades. Construction of Unit 1 began in December 2018, followed by Unit 2 a year later. Once completed, the station is expected to provide low-carbon electricity to approximately 6 million UK homes. However, the project's timeline and costs have been adjusted multiple times: initially, Unit 1 was planned to be operational by the end of 2025, with a budget of £18 billion at the time of the final investment decision in 2016; in its 2025 results, EDF estimated that Unit 1 would begin generating electricity in 2030, with completion costs estimated at £35 billion in 2015 prices. Experience from Hinkley Point C will also be applied to the Sizewell C project in Suffolk, which uses the same UK EPR design. The UK government made a final investment decision for Sizewell C in July 2025, with an estimated cost baseline of £38.2 billion and a planned completion date of summer 2039.
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