Colas Senior Team Visits Hinkley Point C Site

A few weeks ago, some of the Colas Ltd senior team had the privilege of being invited to hold a meeting at the Bouygues joint venture Hinkley Point C site, providing a valuable opportunity to gain learnings from the impressive project site, and interact with the team.

The Hinkley Point C ByLor project is a joint venture between Bouygues TP, and Laing O’Rourke, and upon completion, will be the first in a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK. Since the project started in 2016, the team is responsible for delivering the main civil engineering works at the site, constructing buildings which will accommodate two nuclear reactors. Upon completion of the phase, the site will be handed back to EDF for the next stage of development. Equans, another Entity from within the Bouygues Group, will also be involved in the next stage of the project.

This project is one of the biggest investments made by EDF, and once operational the zero-carbon site will supply 7% of the UK’s energy.

The 1km x 1km site, located in Hinkley, Somerset, contains 50 buildings, including the 2 nuclear reactors. Currently, there are 80 cranes on the site, including the affectionately named, “Big Carl”, the world largest crane on land. Standing up to 250m tall, Big Carl can reach higher than the tallest tower at London’s Canary Wharf and can carry 5,000 tonnes in a single lift. It plays a vital role in lifting the key elements of the reactors into place as they are constructed in a module approach.

The team also saw the first of Hinkley Point C’s eight 520-tonne steam generators in place, having been delivered safely to the construction site after arriving by sea and road in May.

During an extensive tour of the site, the team saw the many varied activities taking place. A consistent approach to safety is vital, and Life Saving Rules were very visible and translated into multiple languages, reflecting the major risks on the site, particularly lifting. Due to the number of cranes on site, having a clear procedure is crucial.

So far, the project has created eleven thousand job opportunities, and currently, approximately six thousand operatives are working on the site. During the extensive tour, it was evident that women played a significant role in the project's operations, comprising 20% of the team.

One of the huge benefits we have in belonging to the global Bouygues Group is to share knowledge. By visiting extremely complex projects like Hinkley Point C, we gain insights into a different type of operation which can then be brought back to our own business in order to continue to make improvements and adjustments for the benefit of our customers, end users and suppliers.