Hinkley Point C nuclear power station (HPC) | |||||
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Country | England, United Kingdom | ||||
Location | Hinkley Point, Somerset, South West England | ||||
Coordinates | 51°12′21″N 3°08′34″W / 51.2059°N 3.1429°W | ||||
Status | Under construction | ||||
Construction began | March 2017[1] | ||||
Commission date | Estimated 2029–2031[2] | ||||
Construction cost | £31–35 billion in 2015 prices;[2] £41.6–47.9 billion in 2024 prices[3] | ||||
Owner(s) |
| ||||
Operator(s) | NNB Generation Company | ||||
Employees | 6,300 on-site construction workers | ||||
Nuclear power station | |||||
Reactor type | PWR - EPR | ||||
Reactor supplier | Framatome | ||||
Cooling source | Sea water from Severn Estuary | ||||
Thermal capacity | 2 × 4,524 MWt (planned) | ||||
Power generation | |||||
Make and model | EPR-1750 | ||||
Units planned | 2 × 1,630 MWe | ||||
Nameplate capacity | 3,260 MWe (planned) | ||||
External links | |||||
Website | https://www.edfenergy.com/energy/nuclear-new-build-projects/hinkley-point-c | ||||
Commons | Related media on Commons | ||||
Hinkley Point C nuclear power station (HPC) is a two-unit, 3,200 MWe EPR nuclear power station under construction in Somerset, England.[4]
The site was one of eight announced by the British government in 2010,[5] and in November 2012 a nuclear site licence was granted.[6] On 28 July 2016, the EDF board approved the project,[7][importance?] and on 15 September 2016 the UK government approved the project with some safeguards for the investment.[8] The project is financed by EDF Energy and China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN).[9]
Since construction began in March 2017, the project has been subject to several delays, including some caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,[10] and Brexit, and this has resulted in significant budget overruns. As of May 2022[update], the project was two years late and the expected cost stood at £25–26 billion (2015 prices, excluding interim interest),[11][12] 50% more than the original budget from 2016. This was echoed in EDF's 2022 annual results published on 17 February 2023, with a cost of £31–32 billion in early 2023 prices, Unit 1 start date of June 2027 and a risk of 15 months further delay.[13][14][15] In January 2024, EDF announced that it estimated that the final cost would be £31–35 billion (2015 prices, excluding interim interest), approximately £41.6–47.9 billion in 2024 prices, and with Unit 1 becoming operational in 2029-2031.[16][17][18][3]
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