Seawall completed at HPC
The seawall structure is now complete end to end. It’s taken teamwork, innovation, working around high tides, strong winds and wintery heavy swells to complete it.
The team often had to stagger their working hours to make progress within tidal windows. The logistics of working on a narrow platform with limited working room or laydown also presented challenges – this was solved by developing schemes for cranes to work on the foreshore and using ramps to aid access.
Nigel Clarke, KierBAM Engineer, said: “I’ve been involved in the construction of the seawall from the start, when we were still working on the beach. It’s been one of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on during my career.”
The seawall in numbers
- Total volume of material excavated was 180,000m3
- 50,000m3 of concrete poured
- Largest single pour of 1,404m3
- Total of 308 pre-cast wave return units installed
Unit 1 Nuclear Island progress
Good progress continues to be made on the first unit’s nuclear island structure, with the construction of the fuel handling building now well underway. The structure will comprise of 10 main levels and will house nuclear safety class systems and mechanical systems.
The first concrete pour has been completed for one of the largest sections – a 30m-high, free-standing structure. Some 38 tonnes of rebar has been placed and more than 126m3 of concrete poured so far. In total it will need 123 tonnes of rebar and 386m3 of concrete.
Construction of the two independent emergency diesel buildings has also started, with 550 tonnes of rebar placed for slab one and 150 tonnes placed for slab two.