Project News | Hinkley Supply Chain

HPC News Update – June 2019
June 17, 2019
Balfour Beatty pour first nuclear concrete at Avonmouth

The Balfour Beatty team poured the UK’s first nuclear concrete away from a nuclear site when they began work on one of the six 5,000 tonne reinforced concrete heads which will cap the cooling water tunnels under the Bristol Channel. In total, 38,000 segments for 6,000 complete rings are required in the build of the three cooling water tunnels.

Kier BAM pushes ahead

The Kier Bam team working on the preparations for the station’s cooling systems have completed more than 70% of the concrete blinding, while good progress has been made on the southern section of Unit 2 by the Deep Dig team. The wave return units are being installed on the Sea Wall and the stairs to the east and west of the wall are being constructed. Backfill work is continuing behind the wall.

HPC up for a host of awards

HPC has been nominated in seven categories at this year’s South West Built Environment Awards. The prestigious awards bring together organisations and projects in the local construction industry to celebrate the region’s best performers. The award ceremony takes place on 14 June in Bristol. The project is in the running for the People Development Award, Innovation Award and Offsite Project of the Year, among others. For more information, visit www.buildswawards.org.uk

Centre of attention

The Hinkley Point Visitor Centre, shared by both Hinkley Point B and Hinkley Point C welcomed its 100,000th guest. Located in Bridgwater’s Angel Place Shopping Centre, it’s a one-stop shop for anyone looking for information on EDF Energy activities across Somerset and throughout the UK. You can also book guided tours of Hinkley Point B and C.

Taken from The Point June 2019

Category: Information, Project News
HPC News Update – May 2019
May 21, 2019
HPC is on track to reach J0 this summer

J0 – or ‘Jalon Zero’ – is a French term meaning ‘milestone zero’. At HPC it refers to the point when work starts on building the nuclear power station’s structures above ground. HPC is on track to reach J0 this summer when the final concrete is poured for the Common Raft.

The journey to J0has been a monumental effort. A total of 5.6 million m3 of rock was excavated for the Deep Dig and 9,800m3 of concrete has been poured to date. The Common Raft is the base of the Unit 1 reactor, made of reinforced concrete and ensures the stability of the Reactor Building, Safeguard Buildings and Fuel Buildings that all rest on it. It’s designed to withstand earthquakes, aircraft strikes and an explosion or fire.

Handover of Unit 2 Nuclear Island

T1 supplier Kier BAM have successfully achieved their latest milestone – the handover of reactor nit 2’s Nuclear Island to Bylor – HPC’s main civils contractor. Tom Moore, Kier BAM Deep Dig Construction Manager, said: “The Kier BAM and EDF Energy delivery teams have worked tirelessly to deliver these works safely and to an exceptionally high standard. We’ve used the lessons learnt and good practice from Unit 1, specifically the sequence of construction and handover process, to improve programme delivery.”

Pump House takes shape

Bylor has now successfully completed the five concrete rafts for reactor Unit 1’s Pump House – the building that will eventually be the focal point for all of the power stations cooling water systems. Although it stands 54m tall, the Pump House is buried 36m deep on three sides. It contains cooling water systems and supporting functions, such as filtration and ventilation.

Clearing the way for National Grid substation

Kier BAM has completed the handover of the area to the south of site that will eventually be the location of HPCs substation – allowing it to transfer its low carbon electricity to the grid. The completion of the platform will now allow National Grid to begin works on the Shurton Substation grid connection.

Work begins on Combwich Wharf

As the site jetty gets ready for commissioning, refurbishment is also beginning soon on the existing wharf at Combwich. When it’s complete later this next year, the improvements at Combwich Wharf will allow large loads to arrive by sea and then be transported the short distance around Combwich via a designated access road, to the C182 and then on to the HPC site. The revamped wharf will help reduce the impact on local roads and traffic.

Category: Information, Project News
HPC Suppliers – Support Grant
May 8, 2019
Sedgemoor-based small or medium-sized business (SME) who work as part of the Hinkley Supply Chain or are registered to be considered for work at HPC could be eligible for a grant of up to £5,000.

The grant scheme is designed to help SMEs meet or better fulfil the requirements of working as part of the Hinkley Supply Chain.

To be eligible, businesses need to demonstrate they have a realistic chance of gaining a contract or have a contract already at Hinkley Point C. Grants could be used for things such as recruitment, new facilities, equipment or processes, research and development, accreditation and training.

Other uses for the grant will be considered but only one application can be made per business will be accepted. Grants cannot be used to pay any staff members salary.

To qualify, SMEs must:
- Be an independent business and be registered in Sedgemoor
- Employ fewer than 200 people
- Have been operating for more than one year
- Provide three quotes for purchases, unless purchasing a specialist product or service
- Provide a full year’s accounts
- Be registered on the Hinkley Supply Chain
- Sedgemoor District Council is encouraging SMEs
Interested business should complete a grant application form which will be assessed by a panel from Sedgemoor District Council. More information and the grant application form can be found online at: https://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/article/2271/Suppliers-Support-Grant.
Category: Information, Project News
Huge opportunities remain for regional businesses to get involved with the Hinkley Point C project.
April 5, 2019
Huge opportunities remain for regional businesses to get involved with the Hinkley Point C project, business leaders from across the area were told this week.

Sam Evans, Head of Hinkley Supply Chain Engagement on behalf of the Somerset Chamber of Commerce’s Hinkley Supply Team, said there were still substantial contracts to be awarded for both tier two and tier three suppliers.

She said there was a perception it was too late to win work at the nuclear power station development and said that view was wrong and urged prospective suppliers to register on the dedicated Hinkley Supply Chain portal.

“We were very Somerset-centric in the early days but that scope has now widened and we would encourage suppliers who would like to get involved from across the South West and South Wales to register on the portal.

“It’s a ten-year build, so we’ve hardly scratched the surface as far as the supply chain opportunities are concerned,” Sam said.

She was speaking at the Insider South West Hinkley Point C Breakfast event which was held in the MacMillan Theatre, in Bridgwater, on Tuesday, 26 March.

Other key speakers and panel members included Jamie Driver, the Hinkley Point C Senior Supply Chain Engagement Manager, Doug Bamsey, Strategic Director at Sedgemoor District Council and local businesses who are already working on the HPC project – Greg van Laun of Astron Fire and Security, Mike Morgan, of MMES and John Chaplin of The Bristol Port Company.

Mr Driver said Hinkley Point C would put £4 billion into the regional economy over the lifetime of the project and added: “The word out there at the moment seems to be that all of the contracts have gone – that’s very wrong.

“There are a wealth of opportunities still to be accessed and we need to look two to three years ahead; there are some contracts we haven’t even started procuring for yet.”

Mr van Laun said networking events about Hinkley Point C and working with the Hinkley Supply Chain Team had been invaluable to ensure his company was best placed to win work on the project.

“We were able to meet the decision-makers directly and Sam played a big part in that,” he said.

Mr Morgan told the event: “I also attended a seminar about Hinkley Point C and then made contact with the Somerset Chamber of Commerce and Sedgemoor Development Team and received an enormous amount of support from them. This is a great opportunity.”

Mr van Laun added: “It can be intimidating but it’s all about engaging with the right people to help you.”

For more information about registering with the Hinkley Supply Chain contact the team on 01823 443425.

Category: Information, Project News
Hinkley Point C spending in the South West reaches £1bn with 6,500 jobs created so far
April 4, 2019
New figures released today show the growing positive impact of Hinkley Point C on jobs, skills and people in the South-West and beyond. The numbers are published in the latest annual report into the socio-economic benefits of the nuclear power station which is under construction in Somerset.

Hinkley Point C’s Realising the Socio-economic Benefits report measures Hinkley Point C’s performance against ambitions set out before construction began. It shows that:

Spending with South West businesses reached £980m by the end of January and has now topped £1bn. A further £500m is ready to be spent in new contracts which have already been signed.
- 6,500 people have worked on the construction site so far
- 1,700 of the current workforce live in Somerset, of which 300 are under 35 years old
- 8,500 people have been trained and assessed at the specially built Construction Skills and Innovation Centre near the site
- 380 apprentices have already been taken on by the project
As well as tackling climate change by providing decades of reliable, low carbon electricity, Hinkley Point C aims to provide lasting social and industrial benefits. These range from increasing local employment, to the development of a sustainable regional supply chain and the advancement of new training facilities and qualifications.

The report highlights the big efforts to build a pipeline of skills from schools to the site. Last year, the project worked with 14,500 pupils in over 100 schools and colleges. Efforts to increase the poor level of diversity in construction have shown women succeed in areas traditionally dominated by men – like operating the 50 cranes where half of the first crane apprentices are women. Work to improve accessibility in 2018 also saw the first intake of from a new supported traineeship for those with special educational needs.

As well as the jobs on site, around 800 people are working in Bristol on the project and thousands more are supplying Hinkley Point C from over 1,100 companies in every part of the UK. For example, around 1,000 workers come from Wales and more than 60 Welsh companies supply the project, including over 200,000 tonnes of steel that will be used on site. Positive benefit is also being felt by businesses close by in Somerset itself, with the report highlighting a number of examples including Portishead based Osprey and Taunton based Viridor. The full report and case studies are available online here.

Stuart Crooks, Managing Director, Hinkley Point C, said; “Our teams are making great progress on-site, but this report shows we are also delivering on our ambition to make a lasting difference to people, skills and the regional economy. We are providing opportunities for people to develop their talents and build lasting careers”

Sam Evans, Head of Hinkley Supply Chain Engagement at the Somerset Chamber of Commerce, said: “The work on site is accelerating, creating more and more opportunities for South West businesses to bid for and win valuable contracts as the supply chain grows. What’s especially pleasing is that, far from the list of companies registered all being construction and engineering companies, we are seeing a broad range of sectors represented, including design agencies, catering companies, professional services firms and office fit-out businesses.”
Category: Information, Project News

HPC News Update – June 2019

HPC News Update – May 2019

HPC Suppliers – Support Grant

Huge opportunities remain for regional businesses to get involved with the Hinkley Point C project.

Hinkley Point C spending in the South West reaches £1bn with 6,500 jobs created so far

Information