Among the first companies to announce orders following the British government's approval of the Hinkley Point C project is General Electric, which told Reuters that it would receive $1.9 billion through a contract to supply utility Electricity de France with major components for the two reactors, which are expected to cost close to $24 billion.
The GE contract order is for steam turbines, generators “and other equipment,” Reuters reported.
The contract includes orders for two 1,770-megawatt Arabelle steam turbines and for generators that will be called upon to produce 7 percent of Britain's electricity generation. That output is enough to power six million homes.
While some questioned what impact GE's purchase of French company Alstom last year, the benefits are now tangible.
The British government's green light on the project “confirms our technology leadership and it also confirms that it was not such a bad idea to buy Alstom,” Chief Executive Officer Andreas Lusch said in an interview.