Dec 3, 2025
Reactor vessel finished for the second unit of Hinkley Point C.
Framatome has finished building the reactor pressure vessel for the second EPR unit at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in Somerset, UK. Additionally, the first two of four steam generators for this unit have also been completed.
The vessel is 13 meters long and weighs 500 tonnes, and it was produced by Framatome at its facility in Saint-Marcel, located in Chalon-sur-Saône, eastern France.
On LinkedIn, EDF announced that a celebration took place at the Saint-Marcel plant on 28 November to commemorate the vessel's completion. The Hinkley Point C delegation observed the reactor being prepared for transport to Somerset.
The reactor pressure vessel is a robust steel cylinder that will encase the reactor core and its components, including the vessel internals that support and stabilize the core, facilitate coolant flow, and guide control rod movement.
The reactor pressure vessel for unit 1 at Hinkley Point C was completed at Framatome's Le Creusot facility in Burgundy, central France, in December 2022. It was delivered to the construction site in February 2023 and stored until its installation in the reactor building in December 2024.
EDF mentioned that the Hinkley Point C delegation also formally received the first two completed steam generators for unit 2, which are scheduled for delivery in 2026.
Steam generators transfer thermal energy from the primary cooling system of a pressurized water reactor to the secondary cooling system, generating the steam needed to drive the electricity generation turbine.
The first of the eight steam generators, each 25 meters tall and weighing 520 tonnes, was delivered to the site in May 2024 after a combined sea and road journey. It was installed in the reactor building of unit 1 in July of this year.
Construction on the first of the two 1630 MWe EPR reactors at Hinkley Point C began in December 2018, with work on unit two starting a year later. The dome for unit 1 was installed in December 2023, and the dome for the second unit's containment building was positioned last week. Last year, EDF announced that the current projection is for unit 1 to be operational in 2030, with the estimated cost revised from GBP26 billion to between GBP31-34 billion in 2015 prices. Once completed, the two EPR reactors will provide enough carbon-free electricity for six million homes and are expected to function for up to 80 years.
The vessel is 13 meters long and weighs 500 tonnes, and it was produced by Framatome at its facility in Saint-Marcel, located in Chalon-sur-Saône, eastern France.
On LinkedIn, EDF announced that a celebration took place at the Saint-Marcel plant on 28 November to commemorate the vessel's completion. The Hinkley Point C delegation observed the reactor being prepared for transport to Somerset.
The reactor pressure vessel is a robust steel cylinder that will encase the reactor core and its components, including the vessel internals that support and stabilize the core, facilitate coolant flow, and guide control rod movement.
The reactor pressure vessel for unit 1 at Hinkley Point C was completed at Framatome's Le Creusot facility in Burgundy, central France, in December 2022. It was delivered to the construction site in February 2023 and stored until its installation in the reactor building in December 2024.
EDF mentioned that the Hinkley Point C delegation also formally received the first two completed steam generators for unit 2, which are scheduled for delivery in 2026.
Steam generators transfer thermal energy from the primary cooling system of a pressurized water reactor to the secondary cooling system, generating the steam needed to drive the electricity generation turbine.
The first of the eight steam generators, each 25 meters tall and weighing 520 tonnes, was delivered to the site in May 2024 after a combined sea and road journey. It was installed in the reactor building of unit 1 in July of this year.
Construction on the first of the two 1630 MWe EPR reactors at Hinkley Point C began in December 2018, with work on unit two starting a year later. The dome for unit 1 was installed in December 2023, and the dome for the second unit's containment building was positioned last week. Last year, EDF announced that the current projection is for unit 1 to be operational in 2030, with the estimated cost revised from GBP26 billion to between GBP31-34 billion in 2015 prices. Once completed, the two EPR reactors will provide enough carbon-free electricity for six million homes and are expected to function for up to 80 years.