Hinkley Point C nuclear power station
Hinkley Point C nuclear power station (HPC) is a two-unit, 3,200 MWe EPR nuclear power station under construction in Somerset, England.
| Hinkley Point C nuclear power station (HPC) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A 3D model of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station | |||||
| Country | England, United Kingdom | ||||
| Location | Somerset, South West England | ||||
| Coordinates | 51.2059°N 3.1429°W | ||||
| Status | Under construction | ||||
| Construction began | March 2017 | ||||
| Commission date | Estimated 2029–2031 | ||||
| Construction cost | £31–35 billion in 2015 prices | ||||
| 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 | ||||
The site was one of eight announced by the British government in 2010, and in November 2012 a nuclear site license 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).
Since construction began in March 2017, the project has been subject to several delays, including some caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, 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, 50% more than the original budget from 2016. In February 2023, EDF announced that costs would rise to £32.7bn in 2023 prices and operation would be delayed by a further 15 months to September 2028. In January 2024, EDF announced that it estimated that the final cost could rise up to £46 billion in 2024 prices and be delayed by up to three years.