Green light for Hinkley C nuclear power plant charges UK engineering

Phil Black - PII Editor 29/07/2016

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The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) has welcomed the decision by the French energy company EDF to proceed with the construction of Britain’s first nuclear power station in a generation.

The decision ends years of uncertainty and could signal the start of a nuclear renaissance in the UK. The £20bn project, which is sited on the coast of the Bristol Channel, will deliver a 3.2 GW power station based around two pressurised water reactors designed by Areva.

The news brings much needed clarity to UK energy policy following a period of considerable upheaval that has seen the withdrawal of government support from wind and solar projects, a continued loss of coal-fired generating capacity and the shock cancellation of a £1bn capital grant for carbon capture and storage in November 2015.

IChemE director, Andy Furlong said: “It’s widely recognised that nuclear power is not the only energy solution in town. Nonetheless, a decision has finally been reached and it brings certainty to the direction of travel. The engineering community can now make proper decisions around design, procurement and construction timelines.

We will need to evaluate education, training and skills issues across a complex supply chain that has the potential to create more than 25,000 jobs including many roles for chemical and process engineers.

Cost escalation is a clearly a concern, but this can be mitigated via robust engineering design and effective project management. Chemical engineers are well placed to support this and IChemE will be working with its Energy Centre and Nuclear Technology Special Interest Group to engage fully with suppliers, regulators and others to deliver a world-class project that we can be proud of.

UK energy policy is being affected by the current unpredictability in British politics. Brexit, coupled with the upheaval in both government and opposition, must not be allowed to destabilise the project. This is a long-term infrastructure project that will span several parliaments. Now that the decision is settled it’s vital that cross-party support for Hinckley C is maintained.”

Alongside renewables and other emerging energy technologies, the low-carbon baseload electricity generated at Hinkley C will make a vital contribution to the UK’s Fifth Carbon Budget, which commits the nation to a largely decarbonised electricity supply by 2030.

IChemE Energy Centre Chair, Professor Stefaan Simons described the EDF decision as a: “Good move that is long overdue.” He went on to say: ”Nuclear energy will make a valuable contribution to the decarbonisation of electricity generation in the UK; but it needs a big, bold decision to make it happen. EDF and the UK government have risen to the challenge.

We must acknowledge that attracting the investment required for major energy infrastructure projects is not easy in the current climate. The balancing act between cost and benefit, and market and climate is a tricky one.

Thankfully, in this instance a decision has finally been reached, but this isn’t the end of the story. Other low-carbon solutions are required to deliver a sustainable energy economy and the celebrations in Somerset must not give rise to complacency.”

IChemE believes that the Hinckley C decision has brought a renewed sense of confidence to the UK nuclear industry. A total of 16 GW is now planned, or in the pipeline, including the Hitachi-Horizon proposal for three advanced boiling water Reactors at Oldbury on the River Severn and Wylfa on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales, and the NuGen proposal to build three pressurised water reactors near Sellafield in Cumbria.

The Hinkley C decision also offers as a boost to chemical and process engineers working in fuel processing, waste treatment, decommissioning and process safety.

Link to : EDF Energy – Hinkley Point C