French nuclear power giant EDF has announced the first major concrete pour for the Hinkley Point C construction project in Somerset, England, that is expected to supply Britain with 7 percent of its electricity for 60 years once it is commissioned.
The first concrete pour for the project was done in April 2017 for the initial construction of infrastructure tunnels that would be used for cables, wires and pipes. On December 11, EDF said, a 2,000 cubic meter pour was completed over a 30 hour period creating a platform 3.2 meters thick – about 10.5 feet. On this platform the reactor building will be constructed, which will house critical safety systems.
“Hinkley Point C progress continues with the last major milestone of 2018 completed. In a job that took over 30 hours, teams poured concrete on the first part of reactor one’s 4,500 metric ton base, which provides the solid platform for reactor buildings,” EDF said, noting the concrete was reinforced with steel “from south Wales.”
The platform is known as the “common raft” for the site. It will be followed by four other major concrete pours in 2019. The first major pour also signals the project has progressed past the “hold point,” a way to define regulatory permission to move forward past preliminary construction and site preparation.