Hinkley Point C nuclear power station
| Hinkley Point C nuclear power station (HPC) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A 3D model of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station | |||||
| 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 | ||||
| Commission date | 2031 | ||||
| Construction cost | £31–35 billion in 2015 prices; £41.6–47.9 billion in 2024 prices | ||||
| Owner |
| ||||
| Operator | 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.
Hinckley was one of eight possible sites announced by the British government in 2010, and in November 2012 a nuclear site licence was granted.
On 28 July 2016, the EDF board approved the project, and on 15 September 2016 the UK government approved the project with some safeguards for the investment. The project is financed by EDF Energy and China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN). The final cost was to be £18 billion in 2015 prices.
When construction began in March 2017 completion was expected in 2025. Since then the project has been subject to several delays, including some caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and Brexit, and this has resulted in significant budget overruns. As of May 2022, the project was two years late and the expected cost stood at £25–26 billion (2015 prices, excluding interim interest), 50% more than the original budget from 2016. In EDF's 2022 annual results published on 17 February 2023, the cost was £31–32 billion in 2023 prices, Unit 1 had a start date of June 2027 and a risk of 15 months further delay. In January 2024, EDF announced that it estimated that the final cost would be £31–35 billion (2015 prices, excluding interim interest), £41.6–47.9 billion in 2024 prices, with Unit 1 planned to become operational in 2029 to 2031.